Two UN officials warned that the situation in the occupied West Bank has reached a “dangerous turning point” amid escalating violence, displacement and accelerating Israeli settlement activity.
The warning came during a UN Security Council session held on Tuesday at the request of the five European members of the Security Council to discuss the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank.
In a video briefing, Ramses Alakbarov, Deputy UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the deterioration had not occurred suddenly, but was the result of decades of unresolved conflict that had deepened the Israeli occupation, pushed the Palestinian Authority to the brink of collapse, and undermined prospects for the establishment of an independent, viable and sovereign Palestinian state.
As of August 10 this year, Alakbarov said 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, had been killed in the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces or extremist settlers.
The UN official said 127 Palestinian communities had been fully or partially displaced since January 2023, including 47 communities whose residents were completely displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians.
In 2026 alone, around 3,800 Palestinians have been displaced, nearly half of them children, due to settler violence, demolitions and evictions.
Alakbarov said that “settler violence has reached unprecedented levels,” noting that the United Nations had documented more than 1,430 incidents this year involving Israeli settlers that resulted in casualties, property damage, or both, affecting around 260 Palestinian communities.
Situation in Nablus
Alakbarov highlighted the violence in Nablus Governorate, including attacks targeting the villages of Tell, Awarta and Surra on July 24.
The escalation that followed the attack on Tell resulted in the deaths of four Palestinians and two members of the Israeli police, while other attacks injured Palestinians and caused extensive damage to Palestinian property.
He said similar incidents occur daily across the West Bank. Accountability for such crimes remains rare, he noted, pointing to the indictment on August 6 of an Israeli settler over the killing of Palestinian community activist Awdah al-Hathaleen in the South Hebron Hills in July 2025.
Israeli military operations and restrictions on movement also continue to disrupt civilian life and humanitarian operations. During a large-scale operation carried out by Israeli occupation forces in Qalandia refugee camp between August 5 and 7, dozens of Palestinians were injured, more than 60 people were arrested or detained, and extensive property damage was reported, according to the UN official.
Concern Over Settlement Expansion
Alakbarov also expressed concern over settlement expansion. Since the beginning of the year, Israeli planning authorities have advanced or approved around 12,360 housing units in the occupied West Bank, including 7,200 units in Area C and 5,160 units in East Jerusalem.
He warned that these developments represent “interconnected steps rather than isolated developments” that are reshaping the West Bank, weakening Palestinian governance and moving toward what he described as “de facto annexation.”
“The situation in the West Bank must be treated as an emergency requiring urgent action,” he said, reaffirming the UN’s commitment to supporting efforts to achieve lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
Violence Taking a Heavy Toll on Children
UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hanan Suleiman said escalating violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is having a devastating impact on children.
She said the United Nations had verified the deaths of 174 Palestinian children — equivalent to one child being killed every week — between January 2024 and the end of July 2026.
More than 1,500 Palestinian children were injured during the same period, she told the Security Council, with around half sustaining injuries from live ammunition.
Suleiman said boys, particularly adolescents, account for the majority of children killed or injured.
At the same time, incidents of settler violence are increasing and have resulted in serious violations against children, as documented by the UN Secretary-General in his latest annual report on children and armed conflict, according to the UNICEF official.
Documented incidents include shooting, beating, stabbing and pepper-spraying children, as well as attacks on homes and livelihoods and damage to or destruction of water infrastructure.
Suleiman said the impact of violence extends beyond children directly affected. More than 800,000 children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, face barriers to safe and continuous education due to school closures, insecurity, movement restrictions and damage to infrastructure.
In 2026 alone, 99 education-related incidents have been documented, including children being killed, injured or detained in or on their way to school, the demolition of schools, the use of school buildings by military forces and the denial of children’s access to education.
Detention of Children
Suleiman also expressed grave concern over the situation of Palestinian children in detention.
According to the Israel Prison Service, at least 355 Palestinian children from the West Bank are currently being held under Israeli military detention — the highest number in eight years.
Around half of these children, 164, are being held in administrative detention without charge or trial.
She added that detained children continue to report violence, mistreatment and harsh conditions. She also pointed to a pattern of inadequate nutrition and hygiene that has resulted in severe weight loss and widespread scabies among detained children.
Suleiman said the humanitarian consequences of what is happening in the West Bank are profound.
She stressed that children in the West Bank have the same rights as children everywhere: “to live, learn, be protected and imagine a future beyond violence and fear.”
She reaffirmed that UNICEF will continue to advocate for the protection of all children and provide humanitarian assistance and protection to every child it is able to reach.
