Situation in occupied West Bank 'alarming and urgent': UN

US voices concern over an escalation of violence by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians. / Photo: Reuters

The situation in the occupied West Bank has become "alarming and urgent," the United Nations said, citing in particular an escalation of violence by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians.

From October 7 to November 2, 132 Palestinians, including 41 children, had been killed in the occupied West Bank while two Israeli soldiers also perished, the UN human rights office said on Friday.

Much of the world's attention has been focused on Gaza since the Israel's war on the besieged Palestinian enclave began on October 7.

But "the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is alarming and urgent, amid the increasing and multi-layered human rights violations of Palestinians occurring there," spokesperson Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva.

She said Israeli forces were increasingly using military tactics and weapons in law enforcement operations, including an operation involving air strikes on the Jenin refugee camp.

"Settler violence, which was already at record levels, has also escalated dramatically, averaging seven attacks a day. In more than a third of these attacks, firearms were used," Throssell said.

She said in many cases settlers were accompanied by Israeli soldiers.

"Along with the near total impunity for settler violence, we are concerned that armed settlers have been acting with the acquiescence and collaboration of Israeli forces and authorities."

Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in new raids across the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, as violence surges in the territory in tandem with the conflict in Gaza.

It said three men aged between 17 and 26 were killed in the northern city of Jenin. According to Palestinian official news agency Wafa, two of them died when a drone strike hit a house in the city's refugee camp.

The Israeli army said its forces were "operating against Hamas" across the occupied West Bank, with operations in Jenin and the northern city of Nablus.

In the southern city of Hebron, two more Palestinians aged 33 and 36 were killed during a military raid on Fawwar refugee camp, the ministry and Wafa said.

The army said troops had "responded with fire" when Palestinians hurled Molotov cocktails and rocks at them as they seized "weapons manufacturing" equipment.

A sixth Palestinian, aged 29, died during an Israeli arrest operation in Qalandiya refugee camp between Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, the ministry said.

In the early afternoon, the ministry said a 33-year-old Palestinian man was "killed by (Israeli) occupation bullets" in Budrus, a village west of Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the Budrus shooting.