HAMILTON, Canada

More than 37,000 Palestinians were displaced in the occupied West Bank in 2025, a record high amid unprecedented levels of illegal Israeli settler violence, the UN warned on Monday, citing new figures from its humanitarian office.

The Palestinian territory "saw record levels of displacement and settler violence," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference, pointing to a new publication by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Noting that "last year, more than 37,000 Palestinians were displaced over the course of 2025, Dujarric said this was most due to "operations carried out in refugee camps"

"Across the northern governance of the West Bank, OCHA also reports that over 1,800 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians" that caused casualties, damage, or both in 2025, he added.

The UN spokesperson further noted that this was "the highest annual figure on record by the United Nations, and marks the ninth consecutive annual increase."

More than 500,000 illegal Israeli settlers live in settlements and outposts across the West Bank, while another 250,000 live in settlements built on land in the occupied East Jerusalem, according to the Israeli left-wing group Peace Now.

Illegal settlers have escalated their attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since the outbreak in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

According to Palestinian figures, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,109 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained 21,000 since October 2023.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal in a landmark opinion in July 2024, and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.