The United Nations has revealed a disturbing escalation in violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with Israeli settlers carrying out at least 264 attacks in October 2025. This marks the highest monthly tally since the UN began documenting such incidents in 2006. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted the severity of the situation, noting that these attacks, which caused both casualties and property damage, averaged eight incidents per day. Since 2006, OCHA has recorded over 9,600 such attacks, with approximately 1,500 occurring in 2025 alone, accounting for roughly 15% of the total. The West Bank, home to 2.7 million Palestinians, remains central to the vision of a future Palestinian state coexisting with Israel. However, rapid expansion of Israeli settlements has fragmented the region. The UN, Palestinians, and most nations consider these settlements illegal under international law, a stance Israel disputes. Over half a million Israeli settlers currently reside in the West Bank. OCHA also reported that, as of Wednesday, 42 Palestinian children had been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank this year, meaning one in every five Palestinian fatalities has been a child. Despite a US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza in October, which has largely calmed hostilities and facilitated the return of hostages, violence in the West Bank persists. Israel’s mission to the UN has yet to comment on these findings.
Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians reach record number in October, UN reports
