UN Panel Logs 254 West Bank Deaths

A United Nations commission reported on Monday that 254 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026. This figure represents a stark increase from the six deaths recorded by airstrikes during the same period between 2008 and October 6, 2023. The data indicates that annual Palestinian deaths in the West Bank have reached nearly 500 since 2022, marking the highest numbers collected by the UN since 2005.

The report accuses Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank and Gaza. It further claims that Israel is continuing genocidal acts with the intent to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part, despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025. Srinivasan Muralidhar, the Indian jurist serving as chair of the Commission of Inquiry, stated that the intentional killing of civilians and destruction of homes form part of a strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians.

The commission noted that airstrikes became more frequent after the launch of Operation Iron Wall in January 2025. These attacks targeted refugee camps and areas around Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Nablus. The report describes this operation as a shift toward widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure, citing the Israeli Defense Force goal to dismantle structures and restore operational freedom for its troops.

In assessing the intentions behind military actions, the panel reviewed statements from senior Israeli officials. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich referred to two million Nazis in the West Bank in November 2023, based on a poll regarding support for the October 7 Hamas attacks. In January 2025, Smotrich wrote that Fondouk, Nablus, and Jenin should look like Jabalia. The report also cited a May 2026 statement by IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, who said Israeli soldiers were killing like they had not since 1967.

The document also details verified cases of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. The commission identified four additional cases since its March 2025 report, two of which involved victims from the West Bank. One case involved a male detainee at Megiddo Prison in 2025 who was allegedly blindfolded, forced to remove his lower garments, and repeatedly raped with objects during interrogation. The commission alleged that guards mocked and photographed the detainee, threatened to mutilate his genitals, and threatened sexual violence against his family. The detainee suffered serious injuries, including rectal bleeding, without receiving medical treatment.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry responded to the report on Monday, calling it a propaganda document detached from reality. The ministry stated the report aims to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense and delegitimize the Jewish state. Israel has previously rejected claims that its forces systematically used sexual and gender-based violence against detainees, describing such claims as unfounded.

The report also addresses the conduct of the Palestinian Authority. It accuses the PA of suppressing political dissent through arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and the targeting of journalists and activists. The commission cited reports of excessive force during West Bank protests in October 2023, where at least two men, a boy, and a girl were killed in Ramallah, Tubas, and Jenin. The PA accepted responsibility for the death of the boy, who was run over by a security vehicle.

The panel investigated the December 2024 killing of a Palestinian journalism student in Jenin refugee camp who had documented alleged abuses by security forces. Witnesses stated that a security force member threatened to shoot her the previous day. She was killed by a single shot to the neck near her home. The PA spokesman blamed the killing on outlaws, but the commission noted that key witnesses had not been asked to testify.

The commission concluded that the Palestinian Authority violated the right to life and the right to security of person. It found that the PA failed to conduct prompt and effective investigations into killings and did not provide effective remedies to victims and their families. The report noted that information conflicted on whether clashes were underway at the time of the student's death, despite a significant security presence in the area.