GENEVA: The United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, attributing the worsening conditions to major Israeli military operations and escalating settler violence.
Opening a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk decried soaring violence against Palestinians in the West Bank amid major Israeli raids. He described the current situation in the West Bank as “calamitous.”
Turk highlighted the severe impact of Israeli raids across the West Bank, which he said have intensified the already dire circumstances. “Deadly and destructive operations, some at a scale not witnessed in the last two decades, are worsening a calamitous situation there, already aggravated by serious settler violence,” Turk stated.
The violence in the West Bank has sharply increased since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023. On August 28, Israeli forces launched large-scale raids across multiple cities and refugee camps in the northern West Bank. At least 36 Palestinians have been killed in these Israeli raids, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.
Since the start of the conflict, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 662 Palestinians in the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry reported.
Turk also raised concerns about the humanitarian situation, noting that nearly 10,000 Palestinians are currently detained in Israeli prisons or military facilities. Many of these detentions are considered arbitrary, and over 50 detainees have reportedly died due to harsh conditions and ill-treatment.
Since October 7, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 40,988 Palestinians, mostly women and children, the territory’s health ministry reported. The majority of those killed are women and children, according to the UN human rights office.
Turk emphasized the urgent need to end the conflict and prevent further regional escalation. “Ending that war and averting a full-blown regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority,” he said.
