UN report cites 500 annual West Bank deaths

Almost 500 Palestinians have died annually in the West Bank since 2022, according to a new United Nations report released Monday. This figure marks the highest annual death toll recorded by the UN since it began collecting data on the topic in 2005. The data serves as the central metric in a document that accuses both Israel and the Palestinian Authority of committing human rights violations.

The Commission of Inquiry found that Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank and Gaza. It stated that Israel continues to commit genocidal acts with the intent to destroy the Palestinian people, in whole or in part. This conclusion was reached despite a ceasefire agreement that went into effect in October 2025. The report noted that Hamas was mentioned only twice, with neither reference accusing the group of committing a crime.

Airstrikes represent a major driver of the casualty increase. Six Palestinians were killed by airstrikes between 2008 and October 6, 2023. In contrast, 254 were killed by airstrikes between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026. The commission linked this surge to Operation Iron Wall, which launched in January 2025. It described the operation as a shift toward widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure, particularly in refugee camps near Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Nablus.

Srinivasan Muralidhar, an Indian jurist and chair of the commission, said the intentional killing of civilians and destruction of homes form part of a strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians. The report also analyzed statements by Israeli officials to assess intent. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich referred to two million Nazis in the West Bank in November 2023. In January 2025, he wrote that Fondouk, Nablus, and Jenin should look like Jabalia. Major General Avi Bluth, chief of the IDF Central Command, reportedly said in May 2026 that Israeli soldiers were killing like they had not since 1967.

The commission verified four additional cases of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees since its March 2025 report. These cases included alleged gang rape, genital violence, and forced nudity. One incident involved a male detainee at Megiddo Prison in 2025. He was allegedly blindfolded, forced to remove his lower garments, and repeatedly raped with objects during interrogation. The commission stated that these acts were not isolated incidents but part of a broader attack against the civilian population.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called the report a propaganda document detached from reality on Monday. The ministry stated the document aims to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense and delegitimize the Jewish state. Israel has previously rejected allegations of systematic sexual and gender-based violence, describing the claims as unfounded. The Foreign Ministry noted in a March 2025 response that the IDF has rules prohibiting such misconduct and mechanisms for investigating allegations.

The report also accused the Palestinian Authority of suppressing political dissent. It cited arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and the targeting of journalists and activists. In October 2023, at least two men, a boy, and a girl were killed during West Bank protests. The PA accepted responsibility for the death of the boy, who was run over by a security forces vehicle in Ramallah, Tubas, or Jenin. In December 2024, a Palestinian journalism student was killed by a single shot to the neck in Jenin refugee camp. Witnesses said a security force member had threatened to shoot her the previous day.

The commission concluded that the PA violated the right to life and the right to security of person. It found that Palestinian authorities failed to conduct prompt, effective, and impartial investigations into killings. The report also noted instances where the PA allegedly ignored court orders for the release of detainees. The commission said key witnesses in the case of the journalism student had not been asked to testify.