Humanitarian Situation Update #318 | 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 3 or 4 September.

Key Highlights

• Israeli forces carried out a four-day operation in Al Mughayyir village in Ramallah, blocking entrances, searching homes, and uprooting thousands of olive trees.
• Home demolitions in Area C due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits displaced nearly 900 Palestinians so far in 2025, representing a 39 per cent increase compared with the corresponding period in 2024 and more than double the figure in the same period in 2023.
• Six Palestinian herding families comprising 34 people were forcibly displaced from Barriyet Kisan in Bethlehem governorate, after Israeli settlers raided homes, threatened residents, and looted property.
• OCHA documented 11 settler attacks against farmers in Halhul village, in Hebron governorate, within the context of the grape harvest season in August.

Humanitarian Developments

• Between 19 and 25 August, one Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank. On 21 August, Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man near Tel Rumeida checkpoint in Hebron city. According to the Israeli military, the man was shot after he pulled out what appeared to be a pistol and pointed it at soldiers stationed at the checkpoint. The injured man was transferred to an Israeli hospital, where he died of his wounds on 25 August. During the same period, at least 25 Palestinians, including 11 children, were injured, the majority (18) by Israeli forces and seven by Israeli settlers.
• Between 19 and 25 August, OCHA documented the demolition of 60 Palestinian-owned structures due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. As a result, 32 people, including 12 children, were displaced, and more than 2,000 others were affected. More than half of the demolitions (33 structures) took place in Area C and 27 structures were in East Jerusalem.
• In one of the key demolition incidents in Area C, on 21 August, Israeli authorities demolished 23 structures in Ein al Hilwa herding community, in Area C of Tubas governorate in the northern Jordan Valley, citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits. Demolitions in this community in 2025 are the first to take place since August 2015 and follow residents’ legal efforts to obtain building permits and challenge demolition orders in Israeli courts that were unsuccessful. Demolished structures included five residential structures (of which one was donor-funded), five donor-funded mobile latrines, four donor-funded solar systems, eight animal shelters and a fodder storage room. As a result, four Palestinian households comprising 12 people, including three children, were displaced, while two other households comprising three people, including a child and an elderly woman with a disability, were affected. During the demolition, several water tanks, trees, a surveillance system, and an internet network were also destroyed. Following the demolition, the displaced families tried to install a cover to provide shade, but Israeli forces arrived and ordered them to remove it.
• Among the 27 structures demolished in East Jerusalem due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, 18 were in Sur Bahir, five in Al ‘Isawiya, three in Silwan and one in Al Walaja. In Sur Bahir, on 25 August, the 18 demolished structures were all agricultural – including horse stables, sheep barns, and chicken coops, among others – and served as the primary sources of income for nine Palestinian households comprising 47 people, including 17 children. On the same day in Al ‘Isawiya, three Palestinian households were forced to demolish five structures, including a house, two horse stables and two caravans, resulting in the displacement of one household of five people and affecting two other households comprising eight people.
• Between 1 January and 25 August 2025, at least 272 inhabited homes and 60 uninhabited residential structures were demolished across the West Bank for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, the majority of which (237 out of 332 residences) took place in Area C, displacing 873 Palestinians, half of whom were children. Compared with the corresponding periods in the past two years, displacement due to lack-of-permit demolitions in Area C this year marks a 39 per cent increase over 2024 and is more than double the figure in 2023.

Israeli forces’ operation in Al Mughayyir Village

• Between 21 and 24 August, Israeli forces launched a four-day operation in Al Mughayyir village (population of about 3,300) in Ramallah governorate, following a Palestinian shooting attack earlier that day on 21 August, near Road 458 and Adei Ad settlement outpost, in which an Israeli settler was injured, according to official Israeli sources. During the operation, Israeli forces-imposed a near-total closure by blocking the village’s western entrance, where a partial (intermittently staffed) checkpoint is installed, from the direction of Khirbet Abu Falah village. The other main (eastern) entrance to Al Mughayyir, off Road 458 (the ‘Allon Road’), has been closed with a road gate since mid-2023 (see map).

Bulldozing of Thousands of Olive Trees in Al Mughayyir Village, August 2025

• Israeli forces prevented movement to and from the village for the duration of the four-day operation, with the exception of a few humanitarian cases who managed to leave on foot as ambulances were prevented from reaching them. One of those cases was a woman in labour, who was walking to reach an ambulance near the western entrance to the village and had tear gas cannisters fired in her direction by Israeli forces stationed there, but she was not injured.
• Starting on the morning of 21 August, hundreds of Israeli soldiers raided the village, conducted house-to-house searches, ransacked their contents, and physically assaulted residents. Community sources reported that Israeli forces fired sound cannisters, including inside homes, some of which were searched more than once. During one of the house raids, Israeli forces beat two children, causing fractures and bruises in the upper parts of their bodies, and they were transferred to a medical clinic inside the village for treatment. Israeli forces also fired tear gas canisters, injuring 11 other Palestinians by tear gas inhalation, including five women and six children, one of them an infant. Throughout the operation, Israeli forces detained 14 Palestinians, including a woman, a child, and the head of the village council. Several of those detained were physically assaulted. As of 27 August, four remained in Israeli custody, while the others were released, including the woman and the child.
• On 22 August, Israeli forces issued a military order to seize about 300 dunums of privately owned land adjacent to Road 458 on the eastern side of the village, citing security needs, including the trimming of trees. The same day, Israeli bulldozers leveled land beyond the areas cited in the order and uprooted thousands of olive trees. They additionally demolished a bathroom constructed on agricultural land, damaged stone walls, and started constructing a new road that extends to Road 458 on the northern outskirts of the village, according to community sources.
• Additionally, Israeli forces confiscated or damaged dozens of Palestinian-owned vehicles. According to community sources, Israeli forces placed many of the confiscated vehicles at the eastern entrance, which is closed by a road gate (see above). Subsequently, settlers believed to be from nearby outposts, and who were reportedly present in the area alongside Israeli forces, were filmed by local Palestinians stealing one of the confiscated cars and loading uprooted trees onto trucks.
• Al Mughayyir village has historically been subject to attacks by Israeli settlers, particularly those believed to reside in Adei Ad settlement outpost, and these attacks have been on the rise recently. Since January 2025, OCHA has documented about 40 settler incidents affecting Al Mughayyir village that resulted in casualties or property damage, with an average of roughly five incidents per month. This marks a sharp increase compared with the monthly average of one to two incidents in the preceding three years and follows the establishment since mid-2024 of at least four new settlement outposts in the areas surrounding the village. One of the outposts is located in the northwestern area of the village, in Area B, which under the Oslo Accords falls under Palestinian civilian and Israeli security control, and which also impacts the neighboring villages of Khirbet Abu Falah and Turmus’ayya. Attacks by Israeli settlers have resulted in Palestinian injuries, extensive property damage, and significant agricultural losses, including the burning or vandalism of cultivated land, the uprooting of olive trees, and the stabbing and killing of livestock. Over the past seven years, OCHA documented the killing of three Palestinians in Al Mughayyir village within the context of attacks by Israeli settlers, including one by an Israeli settler, one by Israeli forces and one where it remains unknown if he was killed by Israeli settlers or forces. In addition, 161 Palestinians were injured in attacks by Israeli settlers, including 45 by Israeli settlers, 112 by Israeli forces, and four where it remains unknown if they were injured by Israeli settlers or forces.

Intensification of Israeli Settler Attacks

• Between 19 and 25 August, OCHA documented at least 15 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both in 13 communities across the West Bank. These attacks led to the displacement of six Palestinian herding families, comprising 34 people, including 19 children, and the injury of eight Palestinians, including an elderly man, a child and one woman. Seven were injured by settlers and one by Israeli forces during or following settler-related incidents. Incidents resulting in casualties and displacement included the following:
  • On 21 August, six Palestinian families, comprising 34 people, including 19 children, were forcibly displaced from Barriyet Kisan in Bethlehem governorate. Armed settlers believed to be from Ma’ale Amos settlement raided the Sha'oub Taymah area of the community and attacked the families. The assault, which lasted from the early morning until the afternoon, involved settlers searching homes, threatening residents, and stealing generators. Settlers ordered the families to leave at gunpoint, threatening to kill them if they refused, and prevented them from taking any belongings. As a result, the residents fled and relocated to Ar Rashaydeh Bedouin community, leaving behind 10 residential structures made of concrete blocks, three animal shelters, and a solar panel system. Between October 2023 and August 2025, at least 64 Palestinian herding families comprising 191 people, including 84 children, were forcibly displaced from communities in and around Barriyet Kisan in Bethlehem governorate due to settler violence and intimidation. In a single incident in July 2025, 18 families were displaced following assaults, threats, and the destruction or looting of property, leaving behind dozens of residential and animal structures, many of them are donor-funded structures.
  • On 21 August, in Susiya village in Hebron governorate, armed settlers believed to be from Susiya settlement raided a family gathering and physically assaulted three Palestinians, including a 70-year-old man and a child. The settlers attacked them with stones and sticks, causing injuries. They also vandalized the structure in which they were gathered, breaking windows, slashed the tires of an agricultural tractor, and smashed the windshield of a vehicle.
  • On 21 August, in Al Minya village in Bethlehem governorate, settlers assaulted a Palestinian man and his wife after grazing their sheep on Palestinian agricultural land. When the couple, who were working on their land, tried to push the settlers back, they were attacked with stones and sticks, and both were injured. Israeli police later intervened, detaining one family member, while evacuating the settlers.
  • On 24 August, settlers armed with stones and sticks assaulted two Palestinian farmers in Wadi al Ameer area in Halhul village, in Hebron governorate, while they were harvesting grapes. Both men sustained serious injuries. Local residents rushed to the scene to protect the farmers, forcing the settlers to flee. August marks the grape harvest season in the southern West Bank, and in Halhul alone, 11 settler attacks were reported since the beginning of the month against farmers during the harvest, resulting in the injury of six Palestinians. Local sources estimate that hundreds of dunums of grapevines have been left unharvested due to these attacks, causing significant financial losses for farmers, many of whom depend on the seasonal revenues.
  • On 25 August, Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli forces, raided the Jaba’ Bedouin community (Jaba’ Tajamu’ Badawi) in Jerusalem governorate, breaking into residents’ houses. Settlers physically assaulted a Palestinian child, while Israeli forces ransacked homes and beat residents, injuring one man. Israeli forces also prevented an ambulance from reaching the injured man for about 20 minutes.
• Out of the 15 documented settler-related attacks between 19 and 25 August, at least 11 incidents involved damage to Palestinian-owned property, the majority of which targeted agricultural lands and related structures. Key incidents resulting in property damage included the following:
  • In Beitillu village in Ramallah governorate, Israeli settlers carried out three attacks against Palestinian agricultural lands over three consecutive days. On 23 August, settlers destroyed several olive saplings on the northern outskirts of the village – an area repeatedly targeted in the past.
  • On 24 August, settlers from a newly established outpost near Deir Nidham village, in Ramallah governorate, raided farmland and stole a mobile latrine installed on the property. The following day, on 25 August, settlers from the same outpost cut a metal fence around a vineyard, broke into the land, and stole crops. Local sources reported that settlers believed to be from the newly established outpost frequently raid agricultural lands in this area, causing damage, stealing property, and restricting access.
  • In Haris village in Salfit governorate, on 24 August, Israeli settlers, reportedly from Revava settlement, uprooted and cut about 200 olive trees in the southern area of the village, along Road 5. The targeted lands, estimated at 25 dunums, belonged to at least eight families who lost their olive trees. Eyewitnesses reported that settlers used electric saws to cut the trees and transported them out of the area. According to the village council, Israeli forces also prevented villagers from accessing the affected lands.
  • In Burin village in Nablus governorate, on 19 August, three armed Israeli settlers, believed to be from Yitzhar settlement, stole a donkey from a Palestinian farmer while he was working his land and transported it to a newly established outpost near Yitzhar.
  • In the Dkaika Bedouin community in southern Hebron, on 25 August, five settlers from a newly established outpost on a nearby hill raided the area, some on foot and others using a tractor and a vehicle. The settlers attacked Palestinian herders while they were grazing their camels near their homes and began seizing the animals. When residents gathered to protect their livestock, Israeli forces arrived and fired tear gas canisters at Palestinians, enabling the settlers to drive away 23 camels. The animals were herded in front of the settlers’ vehicle and taken toward a nearby military base. Video footage documents the incident. During the raid, Israeli forces also arrested a Palestinian resident for several hours before releasing him. The following day, Israeli forces returned 13 camels to the community, while the remaining animals were reportedly transferred by settlers from the military base to an unknown location.
  • For key figures and additional breakdowns of casualties, displacement and settler violence between January 2005 and July 2025, please refer to the OCHA West Bank July 2025 Snapshot.

Ongoing Operations in the Northern West Bank

• Israeli forces continue to operate in and around Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps, where access is denied or very limited. On 23 August and as of 27 August, Israeli forces were operating and conducting house-to-house searches, in the Al Hadaf neighbourhood, west of Jenin Camp. No casualties or displacement have been reported. This is the second time in a month that such operations have taken place. On 26 July, Israeli forces searched homes in the neighbourhood and approximately eight Palestinian families were temporarily evacuated from their homes by the forces. Once the forces withdrew, all families were able to return. Furthermore, on 25 August, three large explosions and subsequent fires were observed inside the camp. These explosions were in the Ghubaz and Damaj neighbourhoods and are believed to be part of the ongoing demolitions in the camp. To date, the Israeli military has issued demolition orders against 162 structures in Jenin camp.
• In Tulkarm city, Israeli forces have installed a military observation tower in the Nasser neighbourhood, adjacent to Nur Shams refugee camp. The tower is positioned where it can oversee the entire camp. Over the past three days, local sources have observed Israeli forces operating in the eastern side of the city, conducting multiple house raids and searches. On 23 August, Israeli forces forced the closure of all commercial shops in this area for the day.

Funding

• As of 28 August 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately US$950 million out of the $4 billion (23 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 July 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 111 ongoing projects, totalling $65.2 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 54 are being implemented by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), 43 by national NGOs and 14 by UN agencies. Notably, 39 out of the 68 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.