Humanitarian Situation Update #324 | 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 24 or 25 September.

Key Highlights

• As of 15 September, 186 Palestinians and 16 Israelis, including six soldiers, have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank since the start of 2025.
• Israeli forces have installed at least 27 new closures across the West Bank, including 18 road gates. While open now, these gates pose a serious risk of movement restrictions if closed – potentially further disrupting access to services, workplaces, and key road arteries such as Road 60.
• Israeli settlers carried out 25 attacks against Palestinians in one week, injuring 13 Palestinians and displacing 33 others.
• Israeli authorities punitively demolished or sealed eight homes and three other structures across the West Bank, displacing 38 people, including 16 children.
• Israeli forces issued a demolition order against a school and raided two other schools in Hebron governorate.

Humanitarian Developments

• Between 9 and 15 September, two Palestinians were killed and at least 39 others, including five children, were injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of the injured, 32 were injured by Israeli forces and seven by Israeli settlers. During the same period, two Israeli soldiers were injured by Palestinians in the West Bank, and two Israelis were injured west of Jerusalem, in Israel, by a Palestinian man from the West Bank. In total, as of 15 September, 186 Palestinians and 16 Israelis, including six soldiers, have been killed in the West Bank in direct conflict incidents since the beginning of 2025.
• On 10 September, Israeli forces encircled a residential area in the southeastern part of Jenin city in an operation reportedly aimed at arresting a Palestinian man. The four-hour raid forced the closure and suspension of classes at 33 governmental schools and one kindergarten, affecting about 12,000 students. Moreover, an Israeli sniper seriously injured a 14-year-old boy riding his bicycle and he remains in critical condition.
• On 11 September, Israeli forces launched a large-scale operation in Tulkarm city, after Palestinians detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) west of the city, injuring two Israeli soldiers according to Israeli media and causing damage to an Israeli military jeep. During the incident, Israeli forces opened fire toward Palestinians and vehicles, injuring a Palestinian man. The large-scale operation that followed lasted around 24 hours, during which Israeli forces closed the city’s entrances, carried out widespread arrests, detaining about 1,000 Palestinians from streets, homes and businesses, and converted several houses into military posts. Although access restrictions eased after 24 hours, Israeli forces have maintained a heavy presence in Tulkarm city.
• On 12 September, according to the Israeli police, a Palestinian resident of Shu’fat Camp, in East Jerusalem, working in a hotel west of Jerusalem, in Israel, stabbed and injured with a knife two Israelis inside the hotel’s restaurant. The man was arrested on the spot. Israeli forces subsequently stormed and ransacked his home and interrogated family members. During the raid, Israeli forces patrolling the streets opened fire toward vehicles and passing Palestinians, resulting in two Palestinian injuries. Between 9 and 15 September, at least 35 other search and arrest operations were recorded across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
• On 13 September, a young Palestinian man succumbed to wounds sustained a day earlier when Israeli forces, along with settlers, shot live ammunition toward Palestinians at the western entrance to Deir Jarir village, in Ramallah governorate. Two other Palestinians were shot and injured in the same incident.
• On 15 September, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man, from Silat adh Dhahr village in Jenin governorate, as he attempted to cross the Barrier in Ar Ram and Dahiyat al Bareed town, in Jerusalem governorate, to access East Jerusalem. In the same area, on 11 and 13 September, Israeli forces shot and injured two Palestinian men while trying to cross the Barrier into East Jerusalem and Israel. Since October 2023, within the context of the revocation or suspension of most Israeli-issued permits for Palestinian workers and others to access East Jerusalem and Israel, OCHA documented more than 160 such incidents across the West Bank, which resulted in the killing of at least 13 Palestinians and the injury of more than 150 others. Of the total, 78 incidents have been recorded since the beginning of 2025, resulting in four fatalities and 74 injuries.
• On 16 September, undercover Israeli forces raided Qalqiliya city and surrounded the homes of two Palestinian men. They shot, injured and arrested both men. In addition, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the head and transferred to hospital. Later that day, Israeli forces informed the Palestinian District Coordination Office (DCO) of the death of the two men, whose bodies they withheld (not counted in the reporting period above). Three other detained Palestinians were released the following day.
• In the first two weeks of September 2025, OCHA documented the displacement of 133 Palestinians across the West bank, including 59 due the demolition of homes that lack Israeli-issued building permits, 38 due to the demolition of homes on punitive grounds, and 36 due settler violence and access restrictions.

Lack-of-Permit and Punitive Demolitions

• Between 9 and 15 September, OCHA documented the demolition of 14 Palestinian-owned structures for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain. Of the total, 12 structures were in Area C and two in East Jerusalem (both demolished by their owners). Demolished structures included an inhabited residence, an uninhabited residence, ten agricultural and livelihood structures, a water cistern and a container. The demolished water cistern, in Kafr ad Dik village in Salfit governorate, had a capacity of 125 cubic meters and was used for irrigation. In total, two people were displaced in East Jerusalem and about 60 people were otherwise affected.
• During the same reporting period, Israeli authorities demolished or sealed on punitive grounds 11 structures, including eight houses, two water wells and a wall, in seven incidents, displacing 38 people, including 16 children. Five of the structures were in Area A, five in Area B and one in Area C. Of the eight residences, three were demolished with explosives, three with bulldozers, and two were sealed with concrete and iron bars. Below is the list of incidents:
  • Three houses were punitively demolished in Tubas governorate on 9 and 10 September, of which two were in Aqqaba village that belonged to two Palestinians who shot and killed an Israeli settler on Road 90 in the northern Jordan Valley on 11 August 2024. The third house belonged to a Palestinian who killed two Israeli soldiers and injured eight others at Tayasir checkpoint that controls access between the Jordan Valley and Jericho and the northern West Bank on 14 May 2025. The three Palestinians were killed in separate incidents.
  • Three houses were punitively demolished in the northern West Bank on 14 September and one in the south on 9 September. One of the houses was in Kafr ‘Abbush village, in Tulkarm governorate, belonging to two brothers detained for involvement in shooting and injuring an Israeli settler in Qalqiliya city on 12 August 2024. The other house was in Bruqin village, in Salfit governorate, belonging to a Palestinian who was killed in a military operation after being accused of shooting at an Israeli settler car near the village on 14 May 2025, killing an Israeli pregnant woman from Bruchin settlement, injuring her husband, and whose newborn subsequently died in hospital. Another house was punitively demolished in Beit ‘Awwa village, in Bethlehem governorate, that belonged to an imprisoned Palestinian man, who fired at an Israeli bus on Road 60 near Bethlehem on 11 December 2024, killing an Israeli child.
  • On 12 September, two houses were punitively sealed and a wall surrounding another residence demolished in Al Qubeiba and Qatanna villages, in northwestern Jerusalem governorate. The houses belonged to the families of two Palestinian men who were killed on 8 September 2025, after shooting and killing six Israelis in Ramot Allon settlement, in East Jerusalem.
• Since 2009, OCHA has documented the displacement of over 1,000 Palestinians due to the demolition or sealing of 211 structures on punitive grounds across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Nearly 40 per cent of these structures (83) have been demolished or sealed since 7 October 2023, displacing more than 380 Palestinians. So far in 2025, Israeli authorities punitively demolished or sealed 38 structures across the West Bank, compared with 23 structures in 2024 and 17 structures in 2023 for the same parallel periods.

Access restrictions

• During the first two weeks of September, OCHA documented the installation by Israeli forces of at least 27 new closures across the West Bank, including 18 road gates that are currently open, eight earth mounds, and concrete blocks, mostly at the entrances of towns and villages. These movement obstacles restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement, hinder access to livelihoods, healthcare, education, and other essential services, entrench territorial and social fragmentation, and contribute to worsening humanitarian conditions, including by disrupting access to key routes such as Road 60 that connects the northern and southern West Bank. Of the 27 closures, seven earth mounds were installed across six villages in the Biddu Barrier enclave in Jerusalem governorate following a shooting attack in East Jerusalem on 8 September.
• In Bethlehem governorate, Israeli forces installed five new road gates. Two were placed at the only entrance (through Husan village) to the Palestinian villages of Nahhalin and Wadi Fukin that remains open, further risking the isolation of about 10,500 residents. These residents have already had the other main entrances to their villages closed since October 2023. The other three gates were installed in Beit Jala and Beit Sahur towns, threatening to block access to Bethlehem city and to the remaining route connecting the southern and northern West Bank.
• In Hebron governorate, Israeli forces installed five new road gates. If closed, three gates risk further isolating Yatta town and the surrounding herding communities in Masafer Yatta from Hebron city. In At Tuwani, a new road gate threatens the remaining route for some 1,500 residents to access Yatta town, their main hub for services. In Al Buweib, a new road gate risks cutting 500 residents and the nearby Masafer Bani Na’im from Road 60, the main north–south artery. At Zif junction, a road gate threatens movement between Yatta and Hebron, potentially impacting up to 85,000 people. In the north part of Hebron governorate, two new road gates between Beit Ummar, Al ‘Arrub refugee camp, and Halhul town risk cutting some 31,000 residents off Road 60 and isolating Al ‘Arrub’s refugee camp’s 10,000 residents from Hebron city, the main service center in the governorate.
• In Jerusalem governorate, Israeli forces erected nine new closures, including seven earth mounds across six villages in the Biddu Barrier enclave that cut off key internal routes and access to agricultural land. Two new road gates were also installed: one at the northern entrance to Ar Ram and Dahiyat al Bareed, with a combined population of about 15,800 people; and another gate at the only entrance to Mikhmas village off Road 60, effectively placing its 3,000 residents at risk of isolation.
• In western Ramallah governorate, Israeli forces installed six new road gates, affecting over 20,000 residents in five villages. Three gates between Shuqba, Shabtin, and Deir Abu Mash’al villages (13,000 residents) risk disrupting internal movement and limiting access to Ramallah city. In Beitillu (3,500 residents), two gates at the northern entrance would, if closed, severely restrict access to the northern neighborhood of the village. In Rantis (4,000 residents), a gate at the only eastern entrance places the entire community at risk of full isolation.
• In Salfit governorate, Israeli forces installed concrete blocks near Deir Istiya, closing off the road junction that leads to Zeita Jamma’in town. In Tubas governorate, Israeli forces erected an earth mound west of Al Hadidiya, a herding community of about 70 residents, hindering their already limited access to agricultural and grazing lands.

Ongoing Israeli Settler Attacks

• Between 9 and 15 September, OCHA documented at least 25 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both. These attacks led to one Palestinian fatality (shot by Israeli forces, see above) and 13 Palestinian injuries, of whom seven were injured by Israeli settlers and six by Israeli forces. In addition, four Bedouin and herding families in Jerusalem and Bethlehem governorates were forcibly displaced, and dozens of saplings of figs and grapes, 15 olive trees, seven vehicles, and two houses, were vandalized.
• Five of the seven Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers were physically assaulted by settlers in Hebron governorate. One was a man whose leg was amputated after he had been shot by Israeli settlers on 17 April 2025, when settlers raided his land in Ar Rakeez village in the Masafer Yatta area. The second injured person was a woman who was physically assaulted when Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian houses in At Tuwani village with stones and clashed with residents. Three other Palestinians were injured by settlers in the H2 area of Hebron city and in Masafer Bani Na’im.
• Out of 25 documented Israeli settler attacks, at least four arson attacks took place on 11 and 13 September, resulting in damage to two residential structures and two vehicles and the displacement of a family. On 11 September, in Al Maniya village in Bethlehem governorate, settlers attempted to set fire to a house while residents were inside and burnt a vehicle. In two other incidents in Ramallah governorate, settlers set an under-constructions house in Deir Dibwan village on fire and poured flammable material on a parked vehicle near Atara village. The fourth incident took place on 13 September, when about 10 Israeli settlers carrying flammable materials were witnessed and caught on camera while setting a residential structure on fire on the outskirts of Ma'azi Jaba' Bedouin community, in Jerusalem governorate. The house and its contents were completely burned while its residents comprising five members, including three children, were rescued by community members and relocated to another place inside the community.
• On 14 September, following settler raids on three consecutive days on the community of Wadi Abu Ayyash in Arab ar Rashayida al Barriya, in Bethlehem governorate, three Palestinian families comprising 28 people, including 22 children, were forcibly displaced out of the community. During the raids, settlers repeatedly threatened the families to leave their homes or face death. Settlers were particularly aggressive on the day of the incident, warning that they would burn the residents’ houses and belongings if they do not leave. Fearing for their lives, the families fled the area, managing to take only their herds and a few belongings. One of the displaced families had been previously displaced from the nearby Barriyet Kisan community, where a new settlement outpost has been established, also due to settler violence. Since 7 October 2023, over 3,000 Palestinians, including more than 1,500 children, have been displaced across the West Bank, citing attacks by Israeli settlers and access restrictions.

Education-related Incidents

• During the reporting period, Israeli forces carried out multiple raids into educational institutions across the West Bank. On 13 September, Israeli forces raided two secondary schools in As Samu’ town, in Hebron governorate. Forces first raided the town, arrested two school principals, and took them to the schools, where they were forced to open the schools. Soldiers then broke down doors, caused damage inside the buildings, searched the schools, and confiscated educational materials. The principals were reportedly detained for two hours inside the schools. The raid occurred over the weekend, so no school day was affected. According to a report by the Education Cluster issued on 4 August, during the 2024–2025 academic year, 72 incidents were documented in which Israeli forces entered school premises across the West Bank. The governorates most affected were Hebron (14 incidents), followed by Salfit (11), Bethlehem (8), Tulkarm and Nablus (7 each), and Jenin and Tubas (6 each). As a result, 46 schools sustained damage during these incursions. “These repeated intrusions disrupted educational activities and significantly undermined the safety and well-being of both students and staff. The presence of armed forces within school premises instils fear among students and educators, often leading to early dismissals or complete shutdowns. Over time, such disruptions erode trust in the learning environment and contribute to long-term psychological distress,” according to the report.
• In a separate incident, on 14 September, at about midnight, Israeli forces raided several homes in Hebron city and arrested students along with the deans of Hebron University and the Palestine Polytechnic University. The detainees were then taken to the premises of the two universities, where Israeli forces carried out further raids. Approximately 30 students and the two deans were held in the university yards for at least three hours, handcuffed and blindfolded. During the search and arrest operation, Israeli forces warned against holding activities deemed as incitement, threatening prolonged detention if students did not comply. No damage to the university premises was reported.
• Separately, on 11 September, Israeli forces issued a demolition order against Zweidin Secondary Boys School in the Bedouin community of Umm ad Daraj, in southeastern Hebron governorate, for lacking an Israeli-issued building permit in Area C, placing the education of 150 students at risk and affecting 13 teachers. The school serves students from three surrounding Bedouin communities. According to the Education Cluster, with this new order, 85 schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are currently under pending demolition orders for lacking Israeli-issued building permits. Of these, 55 face full demolition, while 30 are subject to partial demolition orders affecting specific structures. Combined, these schools serve 13,005 students, including 6,557 girls, supported by 1,089 teachers (649 of whom are female), the Education Cluster reported.
• On 14 September, Israeli forces broke into Al Jalazun Camp, in Ramallah governorate, during school hours and installed an additional metal fence on top of the barrier separating the refugee camp from the adjacent Israeli settlement of Beit El. As a result, classes at the three UNRWA schools were disrupted that day due to the presence of Israeli forces in the vicinity of the schools, affecting some 2,000 students.

Funding

• As of 17 September 2025, Member States have disbursed approximately $1.05 billion out of the $4 billion (26 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 August 2025, the oPt Humanitarian Fund managed 104 ongoing projects, totalling $62.3 million, to address urgent needs in the Gaza Strip (87 per cent) and the West Bank (13 per cent). Of these projects, 48 are being implemented by INGOs, 42 by national NGOs and 14 by UN agencies. Notably, 35 out of the 62 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.