Red Cross Warns West Bank Conditions Become Increasingly Intolerable
The organization reported that dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded this year, while many others have been forced from their homes. Residential buildings and other property have also been damaged or destroyed, depriving families of shelter and sources of income.
“The frequent and severe violence must be brought to an end,” said Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC delegation for Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories.
“(Israeli) authorities have a responsibility to protect the population from violence, including when that violence is inflicted by settlers. What international humanitarian law says on the protection of private and public property, and on the population’s access to essential services, must be respected,” he added.
The organization described the humanitarian consequences of the violence, including deaths and serious injuries, as “overwhelming.”
It also cautioned that restrictions on movement are obstructing access to medical care, disrupting children’s education and preventing residents from reaching their homes and workplaces. These measures, it said, are forcing families and entire communities to endure “increasingly intolerable conditions in which to live.”
According to the ICRC, ambulances are at times delayed for hours at checkpoints and roadblocks or compelled to use lengthy detours to avoid closed roads and violent incidents, slowing emergency responses.
The organization acknowledged that “Israel has a right to take measures to ensure its own security. However, as the occupying power in the West Bank it also has a responsibility towards Palestinians, who are protected persons under international humanitarian law.”
It stressed that an occupying power must ensure humane treatment of protected civilians, shield them from violence and threats, and take all possible measures to restore and maintain public order and civilian life.
“Upholding international humanitarian law and respecting obligations under the law of occupation are necessary steps towards restoring the safety and dignity of the population,” Lerisson said.
“This means protecting civilians from violence and ceasing the expansion of civilian settlements,” he added.
The warning comes as attacks by Israeli settlers, restrictions on Palestinian movement and settlement construction continue to intensify across the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission reported that 628 attacks targeting Palestinians and their property took place throughout the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, in August.
In June, 14 UN special rapporteurs cautioned that the growing level of “settler terror,” alongside state support and complicity, threatened the continued existence of Palestinian communities in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Since Israel began its war on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers have stepped up operations across the West Bank. Palestinian figures indicate that 1,206 Palestinians have been killed, approximately 13,350 injured and more than 24,600 detained during that period.
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