Red Cross: West Bank life 'intolerable' for Palestinians

Violence, tight movement restrictions and rapidly expanding Israeli settlements are driving living conditions toward an "intolerable" point for Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday. The ICRC said dozens of Palestinians have been killed, hundreds wounded and many more forced from their homes this year, while houses and property have been damaged or destroyed, stripping families of shelter and livelihoods.

Call to halt violence and settlement growth

"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. Lerisson said upholding international humanitarian law and respecting obligations under the law of occupation are necessary steps toward restoring the safety and dignity of the population. "This means protecting civilians from violence and ceasing the expansion of civilian settlements," he said.

Restrictions choke access to care and schools

The ICRC described the humanitarian toll of the violence, including loss of life and serious injuries, as overwhelming. It warned that movement restrictions are keeping patients from reaching health care, children from attending school and people from getting to their homes and jobs, pushing families and entire communities into increasingly intolerable conditions. The organization said ambulances are sometimes held for hours at checkpoints and roadblocks or forced onto longer routes to avoid closures and violence, making it harder for first responders to reach those in need. It noted 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." The occupying power, it said, must treat protected persons humanely at all times, shield them from acts or threats of violence and make every effort to restore and maintain public order and civil life.

A pattern of rising attacks

The statement lands amid an escalation in violence by Israeli occupiers in the occupied West Bank, alongside tighter restrictions on Palestinian movement and illegal settlement expansion. According to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission, Israeli occupiers carried out 628 attacks against Palestinians and their property across the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, in August. In June, 14 UN special rapporteurs warned that the sharp rise in "settler terror" with state support and complicity in the occupied Palestinian territory posed an existential threat to Palestinian communities. Since the start of Israel's genocide on Gaza in October 2023, Israeli forces and occupiers have intensified attacks across the West Bank, killing 1,206 Palestinians, injuring around 13,350 others, and detaining more than 24,600, according to Palestinian figures.