A groundbreaking new investigation has exposed a coordinated pattern of gender-based and sexual violence perpetrated by Israeli military personnel and settlers that is intentionally pushing Palestinian communities to leave their land in the occupied West Bank. The 38-page report, published Monday by the West Bank Protection Consortium and titled *Sexual violence and forcible transfer in the West Bank: How the exploitation of gender dynamics drives displacement*, documents at least 16 verified incidents of sexual assault and abuse linked to forced displacement, and reveals that the tactic has grown sharply in intensity amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
The research, which draws on interviews with dozens of forcibly displaced Palestinian households, finds that more than 70% of displaced families cited sexual threats and violence targeting women and children as the decisive factor that pushed them to abandon their homes. Widespread social stigma around sexual violence means the actual number of cases is almost certainly far higher than the documented total, researchers warn, as survivors are often discouraged from coming forward to report abuse.
To cope with the constant threat of gender-based harm, many families have been forced to adopt extreme protective measures that upend traditional community life. These include relocating women and children to other areas separately from male family members, and pushing underage girls into early marriage to reduce their exposure to violence, the report notes.
Researchers cataloged a escalating spectrum of abusive tactics used against Palestinians, ranging from verbal sexual harassment and offensive gestures, to indecent exposure, explicit threats of rape, and intrusive surveillance of private domestic spaces including family bedrooms. The investigation focused heavily on Area C, the 60% portion of the West Bank that remains under full Israeli military and administrative control following the 1990s Oslo Accords, which split the territory into three administrative zones and established the Palestinian Authority. The report confirms that sexual violence here functions as one piece of a broader coercive campaign to push Palestinian communities off their land, alongside restricted access to water and farmland, attacks on homes and infrastructure, and public rhetoric calling for the expulsion of Palestinian residents.
Survivors and witnesses detailed harrowing accounts of abuse that have left deep psychological scars across the community. In one documented incident, three Palestinian men were abducted by settlers, who blindfolded them, stripped them, beat and burned them, urinated on them, and attempted to rape one of the men with a broomstick before circulating images of the assault publicly. Men and boys across the region report being targeted with sexualized humiliation, forced nudity, and rape threats, mirroring patterns of abuse against women and girls. The report also documents the growing use of technology-facilitated gender-based violence: images captured from forced strip searches by Israeli forces are regularly used for digital blackmail and coercion against both male and female Palestinians.
The report confirms that perpetrators frequently exploit gaps in protection to target vulnerable people. Settlers, often accompanied and supported by Israeli soldiers, deliberately target women and children during periods when male family members are away from home for work or other reasons. A humanitarian worker based in Hebron described one verified incident where an adult Palestinian woman was sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers in a restricted area, with Israeli soldiers present and controlling access to the site throughout the attack.
Children and adolescent boys guarding family homes also face regular violence, including weapon threats and stun grenade attacks, the research adds. Women who step outside to use shared latrines or access basic facilities report being routinely stalked by settlers.
In the months following the outbreak of full-scale conflict and genocide in Gaza, the report finds that sexual intimidation in the West Bank has intensified dramatically, driving a surge in psychological harm across Palestinian communities. Ninety percent of women surveyed reported increased trauma and distress linked to the growing threat of gender-based violence, while 63% of children documented heightened anxiety and chronic fear.
For families already forced to flee their homes, the hardship only deepens after displacement. The study found that 87% of displaced women lost all sources of income after leaving their land, and 40% of displaced children lost access to formal primary education.
Beyond the immediate physical danger of abuse, participants in the study emphasized that sexual violence and the invasion of domestic private space strikes at the core of Palestinian social and family life. “Many described the invasion of domestic space as a profound violation of dignity and family integrity within local social norms,” the report states.
One displaced resident from Ras Ein al-Auja in the southern Jordan Valley described how persistent harassment targeting the women in his family left him with no choice but to abandon his home. “What pushed me to relocate was the harassment my wife, daughters and daughter-in-law were experiencing. Settlers began approaching the shelters when my son and I left for work,” he explained. “They were watching the women closely, whistling when women went out of the shelters in broad daylight and throwing stones at us at night. I was terrified that something bad might happen to my family because of this constant settlers’ violence when I was away.”
