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The latest report by the UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office (OCHA) indicates that 2023 marked “the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem” since the UN began recording casualties in 2005.

Since October 7, 2023, and as of January 18, 2024, a total of 357 Palestinians have been killed, including 90 children, in the occupied West Bank, according to the Situation Report, dated January 19.

Of the fatalities in the West Bank, 348 were killed by Israeli forces, eight by illegal Jewish settlers, and one by either Israeli forces or settlers. So far in 2024 (as of January 18), 48 Palestinians, including nine children, have been killed.

The total number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, during 2023 is 507, the report states.

In addition, a total of 4,252 Palestinians, including 645 children, have been injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between October 7 and January 18, 2024. Some 33 percent of those injuries have been caused by live ammunition, compared with 9 percent in the first nine months of 2023.

On Friday, Israeli forces killed another Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, taking the death toll in a nearly two-day-long military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm to eight.

Increasing Settler Violence

The OCHA recorded 433 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians, resulting in Palestinian casualties (42 incidents), damage to Palestinian-owned property (338 incidents), or both casualties and damage to property (53 incidents), between October 7 and January 18, 2024.

“This reflects a daily average of four incidents since 7 October 2023 until 17 January 2024,” the report states.

In 2023, a total of 1,229 incidents involving illegal Jewish settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (with or without Israeli forces), resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage, or both. Some 913 of these incidents resulted in damage, 163 resulted in casualties and 153 resulted in both.

“This is the highest number of settler attacks against Palestinians in any given year since OCHA started recording incidents involving settlers in 2006,” the report adds.

Displacement due to Home Demolitions

The report also indicates figures relating to the amount of Palestinians displaced for various reasons, including settler violence and demolition of homes.

Since October 7 and as of 18 January 2024, at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions

The displaced households are from at least 15 herding/Bedouin communities, the report states.

During the same period, 602 Palestinians, including 263 children, have been displaced, following the destruction of 94 homes during other operations carried out by Israeli forces across the West Bank.

About 94 percent of the displacement was reported in the refugee camps of Jenin, and in Nur Shams and Tulkarm, both in Tulkarm.

This represents 65 percent of all displacement reported due to the destruction of homes during Israeli military operations since January 2023 (affecting 908 people).

Israeli violence is escalating in the West Bank. (Photo: via Wikimedia Commons)

Source: The Palestine Chronicle

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