The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is concerned regarding the situation in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He called on Israel on Thursday in Geneva to “end the unlawful killings and settler violence once morest the Palestinian population.”
His office documented the deaths of 300 Palestinians who died in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between October 7 and December 27, a new report shows. Of these, 79 were minors.
In the report, the office calls on Israel, among other things, to end the use of military weapons and assets in law enforcement operations and arbitrary detentions and mistreatment of Palestinians. 291 Palestinians were killed by security forces in the West Bank including East Jerusalem, and eight by settlers, the report said. If there was a killing, it was still unclear who was responsible.
Austrian diplomat Türk called on Israel to end settler violence. Palestinians who have been driven from their pastures by armed settlers must be able to return. The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory to be illegal.
Death in a raid
Another Palestinian was killed in an Israeli army raid in the West Bank on Thursday. As the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, 14 other people were injured, including four from gunfire.
The Israeli military said the soldiers targeted exchange offices accused of funding Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The Israeli military spoke of a “large-scale operation to confiscate Hamas terrorist funds.” 21 people were arrested. An AFP reporter in Ramallah observed Palestinians throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli army said its soldiers fired at attackers who threw explosives, Molotov cocktails and stones and opened fire on Israeli security forces.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office said the raid seized “millions of shekels funding Hamas and Islamic Jihad.”
According to WAFA, the total amounted to ten million shekels (around 2.5 million euros). Because of their activities, several of the exchange offices are classified as terrorist organizations, said Defense Secretary Gallant’s office.
