The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a map and report on Thursday detailing over 5,330 alleged extremist violent attacks by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank between 2023 and April of this year. The agency reports that these incidents resulted in 64 deaths and 5,173 injuries, while causing the displacement of over 5,900 Palestinians.
Regional Impact and Property Damage
According to the OCHA report, the intensity of these attacks varies by region. The Ramallah area recorded the highest number of incidents at 1,352, followed by Nablus with 1,226 and Hebron with 935. In comparison, Jenin and Tulkarm saw 115 and 111 incidents, respectively. The data further notes extensive property damage, including over 77,000 damaged trees and saplings, alongside more than 2,400 damaged Palestinian vehicles. OCHA reports that 45 Palestinian communities have been fully displaced, with an additional 72 partially displaced, though the agency did not define the parameters for partial displacement.
Discrepancies in Casualty Data
A notable disparity exists between the UN figures and data provided by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). While OCHA attributes 64 deaths and thousands of injuries to “Israeli forces or settlers,” the IDF reported 240 Palestinian deaths in 2025, a decrease from 500 in 2024 and 504 in 2023. The IDF maintains that 96% of those killed were terrorists, though it acknowledged that the percentage of those killed while posing an imminent threat dropped from 72% in 2024 to 42% in 2025. OCHA’s report does not distinguish between civilians and members of groups like Hamas or Islamic Jihad, nor does it clearly isolate incidents involving IDF security operations from those involving non-IDF settler violence.
Security Policies and Official Friction
Internal friction persists regarding the management of West Bank violence. The IDF reported 663 extremist Jewish incidents in 2024, down from 1,045 in 2023, yet officials expressed frustration that levels remain significantly higher than the 339 incidents recorded in 2019. In January 2025, Defense Minister Israel Katz blocked new administrative detention orders for Jewish extremists, a move the defense establishment argued undermined efforts to contain the violence. Furthermore, the IDF and Shin Bet have criticized police enforcement under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as insufficient.
Operational Context and Future Outlook
The IDF has implemented a policy since January 2025 of occupying portions of refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur al-Shams, Nablus, and Tubas to disrupt terror command centers. Regarding the destruction of trees, the IDF stated that Central Commander Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth ordered the clearing of vegetation near Al-Mughayir to improve security oversight following terror attacks, including the murder of Tzeela Gez in May 2025 and Binyamin Ahimeir in April 2024. As the IDF continues its security operations and anti-terror measures, the disparity between UN reporting and military data is likely to remain a point of contention.
