Humanitarian Situation Update #305 | West Bank

The Humanitarian Situation Updates on the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank are both issued every Wednesday/Thursday. The Gaza Humanitarian Response Update is issued every other Tuesday. The next Humanitarian Situation Update on the West Bank will be published on 23 or 24 July.

Key Highlights

• Two Palestinians were killed and 58 were injured during a settler attack on the outskirts of Sinjil and Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya towns, in Ramallah governorate.
• In the first two weeks of July, Israeli settlers injured 88 Palestinians, the majority of whom were physically assaulted. This follows a record high of 100 injuries in June – the highest number of Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers in a single month since OCHA began recording casualties two decades ago.
• Between 1 June and 14 July 2025, Israeli settlers carried out multiple attacks targeting vital water springs and water infrastructure in the Ramallah, Salfit, and Nablus governorates.
• Since January 2023, 2,895 Palestinians have been displaced due to settler violence and access restrictions, including 636 displaced so far in 2025.

Humanitarian Developments

• Between 8 and 14 July, seven Palestinians, including one child, were killed in the West Bank: five by Israeli forces, one by an Israeli settler, and one where it is unknown if the perpetrator was an Israeli soldier or a settler. Additionally, a Palestinian man succumbed to wounds sustained in 2024. One Israeli settlement guard was killed by two armed Palestinians, who were killed (counted above). During the same period, at least 115 Palestinians, including 10 children, were injured, the majority (78) by Israeli settlers and 40 by Israeli forces. The following are details of the incidents that resulted in fatalities:
  • On 8 July, a Palestinian man from Hebron city succumbed to wounds sustained on 21 October 2024 when he was shot by Israeli forces, while they were accompanying Israeli settlers through the H1 area of Hebron. During the incident, the forces shot live ammunition and tear gas cannisters at Palestinians, who were throwing stones at the forces.
  • On 9 July, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy succumbed to injuries sustained on 6 July when he was shot by Israeli forces on the main road of Askar refugee camp, in Nablus governorate. During the incident, Palestinian youth threw stones at Israeli military jeeps and Israeli forces opened fire toward them, injuring three boys, including the one who later died of his wounds.
  • On 10 July, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian man during a raid in Rummana village, in Jenin governorate. Israeli forces entered and searched multiple homes, and according to the Israeli military, a man stabbed and injured one of the soldiers and was shot. The raid lasted for over six hours, during which Israeli forces imposed a curfew on the over 4,000 people residing in the village.
  • On 10 July, an Israeli settlement security guard was shot at, stabbed and killed by two Palestinians, who were identified as Palestinian police officers, in the parking lot of a shopping centre in the Gush Etzion settlement block, in Hebron governorate. According to the Israeli military, the two Palestinians were shot by Israeli forces at the scene. The bodies of the Palestinians were withheld by Israeli forces. Following the incident, Israeli forces imposed access restrictions on the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates, by closing the main entrances of towns and villages with metal gates and flying checkpoints. A few hours after the incident, Israeli forces raided and searched the house of one of the Palestinian assailants in Halhul town.
  • On 11 July, two Palestinians were killed, and 58 others were injured during an attack by Israeli settlers on the outskirts of Sinjil and Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya towns, in the northern Ramallah governorate (see below).
  • On 14 July, Israeli forces shot, killed and withheld the body of a Palestinian man near Mevo Dotan partial checkpoint, which controls access to five villages in the Jenin governorate. According to the Israeli military, they identified an armed individual and shot him.
• Between 8 and 14 July, OCHA documented the demolition of 29 Palestinian-owned structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain. These included 23 structures in Area C and six in East Jerusalem. In total, nine households comprising 34 Palestinians, including eight children and 14 women, were displaced, and the livelihoods of more than 100 others were affected. Four households (15 people, including three children) were displaced in Ath Thuri and Silwan areas of East Jerusalem. The other five households (19 people, including five children) were displaced in Area C of Al Ma’sara in Bethlehem governorate, Shuqba in Ramallah governorate, and Rujeib in Nablus governorate. So far in 2025, there has been a sharp increase in displacement across Area C by lack-of-permit demolitions; between 1 January and 14 July, 796 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished, resulting in displacement of 779 people, including about 396 children. This compares to 499 structures demolished and 478 people displaced in the same period in 2024, and 316 structures demolished and 260 people displaced in 2023.
• On 8 July 2025, the Palestinian District Coordination and Liaison Office (PAL DCO) requested access from the Israeli military for 50 Palestinian women to collect their belongings before their homes would be demolished in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces permitted 22 Palestinian women to access and collect personal belongings from the Hawasheen neighbourhood. The access window lasted nearly one hour, during which most of the women were subjected to extensive searches by female soldiers. Meanwhile, the demolition of homes in the camp continued to be reported and residents have observed bulldozers entering and exiting the camp. In parallel, road rehabilitation works, mainly asphalting, have commenced in Jenin city; several road sections in the western, eastern, and northern parts of the city have already been resurfaced after they were damaged by Israeli forces.
• On 15 July, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) released a statement calling on Israel to stop the killing of Palestinians and demolition of homes in the West Bank. The Office said that Israeli settlers and forces “have intensified their killings, attacks and harassment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in the past weeks. This includes the demolition of hundreds of homes and forced mass displacement of Palestinians, contributing to the ongoing consolidation of annexation of West Bank territory by Israel, in violation of international law... [Israeli forces] have often used unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal force against Palestinians who did not pose an imminent threat to life,” including “unarmed Palestinians… attempting to go back to their homes in the refugee camps of Jenin, Tulkarem and Nur Shams.”
• For key figures and additional breakdowns of casualties, displacement and settler violence between January 2005 and May 2025, please refer to the OCHA West Bank May 2025 Snapshot.

Intensification of Israeli Settler Attacks and Settlement Activities

• Between 8 and 14 July, OCHA documented at least 30 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. These attacks led to the death of two Palestinians, one by settlers and one where it is unknown if he was killed by settlers or Israeli forces. Another 92 Palestinians were also injured during these attacks: 14 by Israeli forces and 78 by Israeli settlers. In addition, more than 450 olive, almond and apricot trees were vandalized. Key incidents included:
  • On 9 July, a group of Israeli settlers, believed to be from Gitit settlement and a new nearby outpost, injured 19 Palestinian herders in Tell al Khashaba herding community, near Aqraba town, southeast of Nablus city. According to the municipality, about 100 settlers attacked the community after Israeli forces who were in the area, closed all the entrances to Aqraba town and the road to Tell al Khashaba community. The settlers opened fire and injured three Palestinians with live ammunition and physically assaulted and injured 16 others, including two children (boys aged 10 and 11 years). The settlers also stole about 500 sheep and shot and killed several others.
  • On 11 July, Israeli settlers threw stones and injured a three-year-old Palestinian girl in the head during a raid on Um al Butum area of Sair village, in Hebron governorate. The settlers attacked residents as they gathered to celebrate a wedding.
  • On 11 July, two Palestinians, including one who is a US citizen, were killed, and 58 others were injured during an attack by Israeli settlers on the outskirts of Sinjil and Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya towns, in the northern Ramallah governorate. Palestinian farmers were working on their land when a group of Israeli settlers attacked them with stones and live ammunition and scuffled with them. The attack continued for several hours, during which the settlers vandalized an ambulance and obstructed its access. When Israeli forces arrived, they fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters, injuring 13 Palestinians due to tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces then escorted the settlers out of the area after Palestinians reported that two men were missing, including one who had been seen beaten by the settlers. The bodies of the two men were found by community members, including one who was found with gunshot wounds and it is unclear whether he was shot by the settlers or by Israeli forces. In addition, 45 Palestinians were injured by settlers, including 44 as a result of physical assault and one was run over by a vehicle, and two Israeli settlers were physically assaulted and injured by Palestinians. Most recently, in the same area, on 25 and 27 June, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured four Palestinians, and damaged agricultural structures, vandalized one vehicle and stole another, and caused damage to agricultural lands.
  • On 13 July, Israeli settlers physically assaulted and injured three Palestinians during a raid on Um al Butum area in Sair village, in Hebron governorate. After midnight, hundreds of settlers stormed the village and, while Israeli forces were present at the entrance, they were unable to prevent the attack, according to the community. The settlers threw stones at homes, damaging the windows of eight homes, and set a vehicle on fire. Six solar panels, nine water tanks, the concrete foundation of an under-construction house, 2,200 seasonal vegetable plants and 27 almond trees were also damaged by settlers.
• In June 2025, Israeli settlers injured 100 Palestinians—the highest monthly figure recorded since OCHA began documenting casualties in 2005. This alarming rise continued into the first two weeks of July, during which settlers injured an additional 88 Palestinians, the majority of whom were physically assaulted. Half of these injuries (44 out of 88) occurred during a single settler attack in Sinjil town, in Ramallah governorate, on 11 July 2025, where two Palestinian men were killed and dozens of others were injured (see above).* Since the beginning of 2025, two-thirds of Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers in attacks perpetrated by settlers (123 out of 184) have been concentrated in the northeastern part of the Ramallah governorate, particularly in Al Mazra’a ash Sharqiya, Deir Dibwan, Silwad, and Sinjil — towns situated near Road 60.
• On 8 July, Israeli settlers installed two mobile housing units on Palestinian land owned by the Islamic Waqf, situated along the borderline of the closed military zone of the H2 area in Jabal ar Rahma neighbourhood in Hebron city. The caravans were placed adjacent to a government school and Palestinian homes. On 13 July, the military installed a gate at the main entrance of the neighbourhood, used daily by approximately 100 people living there; as of today, the gate remains open. In addition, the gate and the caravans are expected to affect about 640 students and 35 staff at the school when the new academic year commences in mid-August.
• Between 1 June and 14 July 2025, Israeli settlers carried out multiple attacks targeting water springs and vital water infrastructure in the Ramallah, Salfit, and Nablus governorates.
  • In Ein Samiya, where a Bedouin community was fully displaced due to settler violence in May 2024, in Ramallah governorate, settlers have infiltrated the water spring on a near-daily basis and vandalized infrastructure belonging to the Palestinian Water Authority on 27 June and on 6, 13 and 14 July. The incidents included the destruction and theft of surveillance cameras, removal of a signboard, cutting and theft of gate locks, and the damage to a water well unit. In the most severe incident, on 13 July, settlers reportedly stole the main gate, destroyed camera systems, cut data and electricity cables, and severed the connection between the well unit and the central monitoring system. The water supply to 20 villages (approximately 100,000 people) in the eastern Ramallah governorate was not disrupted due to rapid intervention by the Palestinian Water Authority, however the repeated attacks have significantly increased operational risks and the ability of staff to provide water-related services.
  • In Farkha village in Salfit governorate, settlers reportedly from a newly established outpost bulldozed land on 6 June to construct a one-kilometre road connecting two outposts. The bulldozed land passes through Palestinian-owned agricultural land and leads to a key water spring used by residents for drinking and irrigation. According to the Village Council, settlers have repeatedly attempted to take over the spring and have restricted Palestinian farmers’ access to the surrounding land, affecting more than 1,900 residents in the village.
  • In Majdal Bani Fadel village in Nablus governorate, settlers believed to be from an outpost near Migdalim settlement have carried out multiple acts of vandalism and obstructions affecting access to water and telecommunication. On 10 July, settlers bulldozed land and damaged the main water and telecommunication lines serving seven villages including, Majdal Bani Fadel, Duma, Qusra, Jurish, Talfit, Qaryut, and Jalud villages, resulting in widespread disruptions to water and telecommunication connectivity for six days between 10 and 16 July. The municipality reported that Israeli forces prevented repair teams from accessing the site, prolonging the outage, and affecting about 22,000 residents of these seven villages.
• On 13 and 14 July 2025, Israeli human rights organizations Ir Amim and Peace Now reported that Israeli authorities have resumed advancement of the long-stalled Israeli E1 settlement expansion plan, which aims to expand Ma’ale Adumim settlement and connect it to Jerusalem, after four years of suspension. The plan includes the construction of 3,412 settlement housing units over 2,100 dunams (513 acres) between East Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim settlement. Earlier in July, those who had previously submitted objections – including affected Palestinian communities and Israeli NGOs – were notified by the courts that the final hearing would take place on 22 July or 6 August. This development comes in parallel with broader Israeli measures advancing settlement expansion. In June 2025, Peace Now reported that the Israeli Security Cabinet had approved the establishment of 22 new settlements, bringing the total since 7 October 2023 to 49 and significantly exceeding the annual average of seven. Additionally, on 29 March, the Israeli Security Cabinet approved the construction of a road between Az Za’ayem and Al ‘Eizariya in the Jerusalem governorate, which is part of a wider network intended to divert Palestinian traffic between the central and southern West Bank away from Road 1 that links Jerusalem to Jericho via the area slated for the E1 settlement. The same area is planned to be encircled by the Barrier, approved by the Israeli Cabinet in 2006. The humanitarian community has long raised concerns that these measures would fragment the West Bank, severing the geographic contiguity between Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley and between the central and southern West Bank, and heighten the risk of forcible transfer facing 18 Palestinian Bedouin communities in the area. Since 2009, OCHA has documented the demolition of 504 structures, including 75 homes, in the 18 Bedouin communities in the area, resulting in the displacement of 929 people, including 518 children, some of whom were displaced more than once.
• Between January 2023 and mid-July 2025, at least 2,895 Palestinians from 69 communities across the West Bank – primarily herding and Bedouin communities – have been displaced due to a coercive environment driven by intensifying settler violence and access restrictions. Overall, 45 per cent of displaced families have been in the Ramallah governorate (1,309 out of 2,895), followed by Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas, Salfit, Jerusalem, and Jericho – in areas where Israeli settlers, believed to be from nearby outposts, have perpetrated attacks against surrounding Palestinians communities. Among the 636 displaced within this context so far in 2025, a third were in the Jordan Valley area (215 out of 636).

Funding

• As of 16 July 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately US$782 million out of the $4 billion (19 per cent) requested to meet the most critical humanitarian needs of three million out of 3.3 million people identified as requiring assistance in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2025, under the 2025 Flash Appeal for the OPT. Nearly 88 per cent of the requested funds are for humanitarian response in Gaza, with just over 12 per cent for the West Bank. Moreover, during June 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 122 ongoing projects, totalling $70.1 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 58 are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), 48 by national NGOs and 16 by UN agencies. Notably, 42 out of the 74 projects implemented by INGOs or the UN are being implemented in collaboration with national NGOs. For more information, please see OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service webpage and the oPt HF webpage.

* Asterisks indicate that a figure, sentence, or section has been rectified, added, or retracted after the initial publication of this update.