UN agency points to record high number of incidents involving Israeli settlers in the West Bank

(Patria) - A record high number of incidents involving Israeli settlers was recorded in the West Bank in 2024, reports the Palestinian news agency WAFA, as reported by TASS, citing the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

According to OCHA, last year saw "the highest number of settler-related incidents across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem".

"Around 1,400 such incidents, including physical assaults, arson attacks, attacks on Palestinian communities, and destruction of fruit trees, resulted in Palestinian casualties, property damage, or both," the statement said.

The agency highlighted that around 160,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed or injured in Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. Meanwhile, Israeli troops and settlers have intensified attacks in the West Bank, in which 835 people were killed and 6,700 injured.

Tensions flared in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of border settlements and taking hostages.

Israel then launched a military operation in the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas and free all hostages. Hostilities in Gaza continue to this day. Clashes are also occurring in the West Bank.