“Israel’s settlement policy, its acts of annexation, and related discriminatory legislation and measures are in breach of international law, as the International Court of Justice has confirmed, and violate Palestinians’ right to self-determination,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.“Israel must immediately and completely cease all settlement activities and evacuate all settlers, stop the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population, and prevent and punish attacks by its security forces and settlers.”The ongoing transfer of Government powers over the Occupied Palestinian Territory from the Israeli military to the Israeli Government is facilitating the advancement of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the steady integration of the occupied West Bank into the State of Israel, the report says.Covering the period from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024, the report details significant expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Steps have been taken towards implementing plans to construct over 20,000 housing units in new or existing Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem alone, according to Israeli non-governmental organisations, while 214 Palestinian properties and structures have been demolished in East Jerusalem. Over 10,300 units within existing Israeli settlements in the rest of the West Bank are in the pipeline and an unprecedented 49 new Israeli outposts have been established.“Dozens of unauthorised roads have been paved by settlers and the army around settlements and outposts, helping to connect them while blocking Palestinians’ movement and enabling further seizure of their land,” the report says.Plans to ramp up the provision of Israeli Government services in settlements “further institutionalise[s] long-standing patterns of systematic discrimination, segregation, oppression, domination, violence and other inhumane acts against the Palestinian people”, the report adds.It also points to “a climate of revenge” and violence across the West Bank. During the reporting period, a total of 612 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, by Israeli security forces and settlers. Twenty-four Israelis were also killed in alleged attacks or clashes with Palestinians. The current climate has further empowered Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians, force them from their homes and seize their land, the report says.   “The line between settler and State violence [has] blurred to a vanishing point, further enabling an increase in violence and impunity,” it says, pointing to steps taken by Israel to further militarise the settler movement. This includes the enlistment of thousands of settlers into Israeli security forces operating in the West Bank. The report documents a monthly average of 118 incidents of settler violence, up from 108 in 2023 – which was already a record-breaking year.A total of 1,779 Palestinian structures were demolished in the West Bank for “lack of building permits”, which are almost impossible to obtain for Palestinians, resulting in the forcible displacement of 4,527 people. The number of Palestinians forcibly displaced by demolitions rose by nearly 200 per cent on the previous reporting period.“The transfer by Israel of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies amounts to a war crime,” the High Commissioner said, urging the international community to take meaningful action on Israel’s advancing settlement of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.“Israel must abide by the International Court of Justice’s ruling and cease immediately all new settlement activities, evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory and make reparations for the damage caused by decades of illegal settlement,” Türk said.To read the full report, click on the following link: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5873-israeli-settlements-occupied-palestinian-territory-including, filtered_html

Precarious situation in Gaza:In Gaza, since the ceasefire agreement entered into effect on 19 January, Israeli military reportedly killed 58 Palestinians including ten children and three women, mostly in the vicinity of the Israeli imposed “no-go” zones including the Netzarim and Philadelphi corridors, as well as eastern Rafah, Khan Younis, and Beit Hanun. Many of those killed were reportedly attempting to check on their homes. Targeting Palestinians who are not actively participating in hostilities is a war crime regardless of the Israeli-imposed movement restrictions.For the fifth consecutive day, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid as well as all other goods and supplies, including fuel, from entering Gaza, causing prices to soar and anxiety to spread over the possible return to bombardment and starvation. This is coinciding with the start of the Holy month of Ramadan, further heightening the stress of Palestinian families, most of whom remain displaced. Lack of adequate shelter, warm clothing and healthcare services led to the death of at least eight babies in the past two weeks from the cold, three of whom were reportedly newborns.As the occupying power, Israel has a legal obligation to ensure the provision of the necessities of life for Palestinians living under its control. This includes food, clean water, shelter, and adequate healthcare. Any denial of the entry of the necessities of life for civilians may amount to collective punishment. The use of hunger and starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime.Additionally, efforts to remove tons of rubble and waste are greatly hampered by the lack of the required heavy equipment and fuel. Palestinian families and civil defense workers continue to extract bodies from under the rubble — at least 808 bodies recovered since the ceasefire started. Large-scale West Bank operation continues:In the West Bank, an Israeli security operation continues to ravage northern communities, killed dozens, forcibly displaced about 40,000 Palestinians, emptying entire refugee camps. The Israeli Minister of Defense told media that Israeli security forces will remain in parts of the emptied territory for a year and will prevent residents from returning. The operation started on 21 January and preliminarily targeted Jenin, then extended to include Tubas and Tulkarem governorates. So far, Israeli security forces have killed 54 Palestinians in the course of this operation, including eight children, and two women. Outside these governorates, during the past two weeks, Israeli security forces killed five other Palestinians including a 12-year-old boy shot in the back in Hebron.The killings increasingly demonstrate an alarming disregard for Palestinian lives with high prevalence of unlawful killings. As there are no hostilities in the West Bank, the international human rights law standards on the use of force in law enforcement operations apply. Instead, Israel now routinely resorts to using tactics and weapons developed for war fighting, including the deployment of airstrikes and tanks.Alarming incidents reported over recent weeks include Israeli security forces opening fire at a house in Jenin, killing a two-day old baby girl inside; shooting and killing an eight-month pregnant woman trying to flee Nur Shams refugee camp in which an operation by the Israeli security forces was ongoing; the killing of a 13-year-old girl in the courtyard of her house also in Jenin; and the killing of a ten-year old boy while standing in front of a building in Tulkarem. Since January, three members of Israeli security forces were killed by Palestinian armed men in the West Bank or inside Israel. A 17-year-old Israeli girl succumbed to injuries sustained when a Palestinian man rammed a car into a crowd of Israelis in north Israel last week. The attacker was subsequently shot and killed.Coinciding with the operation, restrictions of movement have also dramatically increased, strangling communities and preventing thousands of students and workers in northern areas from reaching their schools and workplaces.According to Israeli media, Israeli security forces are planning to limit the number of worshippers from the West Bank allowed to access Al Aqsa Compound in East Jerusalem for Friday prayers during Ramadan to only 10,000. This is a significant drop from the tens of thousands who gathered for Friday prayers in Al Aqsa Mosque in previous years. Ahead of the first Ramadan Friday prayer tomorrow, Israeli media is reporting movement restrictions around East Jerusalem, including the deployment of thousands of security officers and the closing of key roads, which is likely to have a severe impact on freedom of movement. Steps to consolidate annexation and forced transfer:Of particular concern is the mass forced displacement in large swaths of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In Gaza, Israeli forces’ continued presence, and the constant killing of Palestinians around the Israeli-designated no-go zones is effectively preventing Palestinian residents from returning to their homes in these areas.In the newly emptied parts of the West Bank, houses are being reportedly destroyed. At least 120 buildings in Jenin and 41 in Tulkarem have been demolished so far, apparently to make space for the creation of wide streets that would allow easier passage to military forces. Israeli security forces also announced that they will imminently demolish 16 houses in Nur Shams refugee camp. Signs are being erected that give freshly bulldozed streets and junctions Hebrew names in Jenin and Tulkarem.In parallel, increasing numbers of Palestinian herding and farming communities are being displaced from Area C and other fertile areas of the West Bank, forced to leave by state and settler violence, restricted access to land and pastures, and discriminatory policies.These steps are being taken against a backdrop of a barrage of statements from Israeli officials and lawmakers promoting further consolidation, under Israeli law, of the annexation of large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Statements also call for the forcible transfer and deportation of Palestinians in Gaza.Earlier this week, the Ministerial Committee at the Israeli Knesset preliminarily approved a bill to extend Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration to settlements around Jerusalem, which would further cement annexation. This threatens to further fragment the Occupied West Bank, further isolate the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, and complicate any future efforts to fulfil Palestinians’ right to self-determination. Israeli media quoted lawmakers who explained the bill is a significant step towards extending Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank. Measures to forcibly displace Palestinians and consolidate the annexation of their land fly in the face of Israel’s obligations under international law, including its duty to end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and to immediately evacuate all settlements as affirmed by the International Court of Justice. These measures must stop and be reversed, and Palestinians across the occupied territory must be allowed to return to their homes in safety and in dignity.Accountability must be prioritised for violations committed by all duty bearers, including Israel, Palestinian armed groups, and the Palestinian Authority as an essential step towards a just and sustainable peace., filtered_html

The Assessment found that housing requires the largest share of recovery needs, with an estimated $15.2 billion, accounting for around 30% of total recovery needs. The health sector ($6.9 billion), commerce and industry ($6.9 billion), and agriculture and food systems ($4.2 billion), also require a large share of recovery needs due to their extensive damage and socioeconomic importance. The education sector requires $3.8 billion for recovery and reconstruction. Over the next three years, an estimated $20 billion will be required to stabilize essential services and lay the groundwork for long-term recovery.“This opportunity must lead to a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all hostages. Palestinians will need joint action to address the immense recovery and reconstruction challenges ahead. A sustainable recovery process must restore hope, dignity, and livelihoods for the two million people in Gaza. Achieving this requires unwavering commitment from the global community, a broad coalition of donors, and innovative financing,” said Muhannad Hadi, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.“The UN stands ready to support the Palestinian people both on humanitarian assistance and a future recovery and reconstruction process,” added Hadi.The Assessment covers damage, losses, and needs incurred from October 2023 to October 2024. Remote data sources include synthetic aperture radar, multi-spectral, high resolution optical and infrared satellite imagery, traditional and social media reporting. On-the-ground data sources include United Nations agencies; humanitarian partner organizations; and other sources.The Assessment states that recovery and reconstruction will require a substantial, years-long effort. Political and operational prerequisites for recovery at scale need to be met in Gaza. While the humanitarian response will remain the primary focus for the foreseeable future, in parallel, some early recovery work is already underway by the United Nations and humanitarian partners.“Once conditions are in place, temporary shelters will be established, basic services restored, the economy kick-started, and individual and social rehabilitation begun while the longer-term recovery and reconstruction advances,” said Mr. Hadi.Central to achieving these objectives is strengthening the institutions of the Palestinian Authority (PA), while rejecting any actions that undermine its viability. International support is critical to boost the capacities of the Palestinian Government and to ensure it resumes its full responsibilities in Gaza. Political, institutional, and economic reforms will be needed as well, but they must be achievable and properly financed.The international community must make collective efforts to support a just and lasting peace that leads to the realization of the two-State solution – Israel and Palestine, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side-by-side in peace and security, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law, with Jerusalem as the capital of both States. The United Nations will continue to support all efforts towards that goal., filtered_html

Unlawful killingsIsraeli security forces have so far killed 44 Palestinians, many of them unarmed and not posing an imminent threat to life or of serious injury, since the start of the operation on 21 January which has affected Jenin, Tulkarem, and Tubas governorates, and four refugee camps in these areas.  Among those killed are five children and two women. One of the women killed, 23-year-old Sundus Shalabi, was fleeing Nour Shams refugee camp with her husband on 9 February when Israeli security forces shot at their car, critically injuring her husband. When she left the car in search of safety, she was shot and killed with her unborn child. According to Israeli media reports, an investigation by the Israeli military preliminarily confirmed that Sundus and her husband, Yazan, were unarmed and posed no threat to life.In Tulkarem city, a 10-year-boy, Saddam Hussein Rajab, was shot in the chest by Israeli security forces and succumbed to his injuries on 7 February. Circulating video evidence showed the moment he was shot while simply standing in front of a building. This is part of an expanding pattern of Israel’s unlawful use of force in the West Bank where there are no active hostilities, and a continuously increasing number of apparently unlawful killings documented by the UN Human Rights Office.Mass displacementThe operation is also raising concerns about levels of mass displacement unprecedented in the Occupied West Bank for decades. According to UNRWA, the Israeli operation has so far displaced nearly 40,000 Palestinians.The UN Human Rights Office received daily reports from displaced residents describing a pattern where they are led out of their homes by Israeli security forces and drones under the threat of violence. They are then forced out of their towns with snipers positioned on rooftops around them and houses in their neighbourhoods used as posts by Israeli security forces. Aseel, a 29-year-old mother of three, has been displaced three times so far. First from her home in Jenin by Palestinian security forces last December when they were engaged in an operation in Jenin, then by Israeli security forces when she attempted to return in January. Her house was burnt down shortly afterwards according to photos shared by some of her neighbours. After fleeing to Tulkarem to stay with her family, Israeli security forces again forced her out end of January when the ongoing Israeli operation extended from Jenin to neighbouring refugee camps.Another young woman said that she fled her home in Tulkarem in panic—barefoot and carrying her one- and four-year-old children—when she heard Israeli security forces threatening via loudspeakers on jeeps and drones that anyone who did not immediately leave would be shot. She pleaded with officers to go back inside for her youngest’s heart medications or to at least put on shoes.“Leave this place and forget the camp. You will never return. Move now before we destroy it completely,” was the answer she reported in her testimony.Other eyewitness testimonies also recounted similar statements by Israeli security force members who reportedly told displaced residents to “forget” and “say goodbye” to their homes, stressing they would not be allowed to return. One resident reported being told to “go to Jordan.”Photos received from Jenin refugee camp on Thursday show freshly bulldozed roads with new signs apparently giving several streets Hebrew names. This is happening while statements by Israeli officials persist in communicating open plans to annex the region, empty it of Palestinians, and expel them out of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.In this regard, we reiterate that any forcible transfer in or deportation of people from occupied territory is strictly prohibited and amounts to a crime under international law.Legal obligationsDisplaced Palestinians must be allowed to return to their homes. The killing of each and every Palestinian must be promptly, effectively, and transparently investigated, and perpetrators of unlawful killings must be held to account. Military commanders and other superiors may be held responsible for the crimes committed by their subordinates if they fail to take all necessary and reasonable measures to prevent or punish unlawful killings.Furthermore, Israel must comply with its other obligations under international law, which include ending its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible and evacuating all West Bank settlements immediately. In the meantime, as the occupying power, Israel must ensure the protection of Palestinians, the provision of basic services and needs, and the respect of Palestinians’ full range of human rights., filtered_html