HAMILTON, Canada
The UN on Friday sounded the alarm over escalating violence and demolitions in the occupied West Bank, citing a sharp increase in Palestinian casualties at the hands of Israeli forces and illegal settlers.
Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that "since January, more than 2,780 Palestinians have been injured by Israeli forces, or settlers."
"That's a 39% increase compared to last year. This includes nearly 500 people injured by Israeli settlers. That's a twofold rise over the same timeframe," he said.
Noting that "as of Monday, OCHA has also documented the demolition of more than 1,150 structures across the West Bank this year for lacking Israeli-issued building permits," Dujarric described the permits as "almost impossible for any Palestinian to obtain."
"That's a 44% increase compared to the same period," he added.
Dujarric said: "The ongoing offensive in Gaza City has further intensified today, increasing the damage to civilians and facilities on which they depend to survive."
"Earlier today, Israeli forces attacked a high-rise building that they say was used to execute attacks against them. Initial information collected by OCHA indicates that tents sheltering displaced people were damaged nearby. We're also concerned by the announcement that more high-rise buildings will be attacked soon," he added.
Between Wednesday and Thursday, he said that OCHA recorded nearly 3,000 movements from northern Gaza to the south, bringing the total since Oct. 14 to nearly 41,000.
On humanitarian access, Dujarric said OCHA attempted to coordinate 29 missions with Israeli authorities over two days, but "19 of them were either denied outright or initially approved but then significantly delayed or otherwise impeded."