254 Palestinians killed by West Bank airstrikes since 2023, UN report finds

A United Nations commission released a report on Monday accusing Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in the West Bank and Gaza.

The Commission of Inquiry documented a sharp rise in Palestinian deaths caused by aerial bombardment in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. It counted 254 deaths from airstrikes between that date and September 30, 2026, compared with just six from 2008 through October 6, 2023. The report noted that almost 500 Palestinians have been killed annually in the West Bank since 2022, the highest numbers recorded since the UN began collecting such data in 2005. Aerial attacks became more frequent after Operation Iron Wall launched in January 2025, particularly in refugee camps and areas around Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas and Nablus.

The report identified Israeli officials whose statements shaped the commission’s assessment of military intent. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich referred to “two million Nazis” in the West Bank in November 2023. In November 2024, he said applying Israeli sovereignty to Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria was the only way to remove the danger of a Palestinian terror state. In January 2025, Smotrich wrote that Fondouk, Nablus and Jenin should look like Jabalia. The commission also cited a May 2026 remark by IDF Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, who said soldiers were killing at a rate unseen since 1967.

The commission verified four additional cases of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees since its March 2025 report. Two victims were from the West Bank. Alleged abuses included gang rape, genital violence, and forced nudity. One case involved a male detainee at Megiddo Prison in 2025 who was allegedly blindfolded, forced to remove his lower garments, and repeatedly raped with objects during interrogation. Guards reportedly mocked him and threatened to mutilate his genitals. The detainee suffered rectal bleeding without receiving medical treatment.

The report also accused the Palestinian Authority of violating the right to life and security of person. It cited arbitrary arrests, detention, and the targeting of journalists and activists. In December 2024, a Palestinian journalism student in Jenin refugee camp was killed by a single shot to the neck near her home after documenting alleged abuses by security forces. The PA blamed the killing on outlaws and said the case was under investigation. The commission noted that key witnesses had not been asked to testify. The PA accepted responsibility for the death of a boy run over by a security vehicle during October 2023 clashes in Ramallah, Tubas and Jenin.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called the report a propaganda document detached from reality. It said the findings aimed to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense and delegitimize the Jewish state. The ministry disputed the commission’s verification methods and maintained that the IDF has rules prohibiting sexual misconduct and mechanisms for investigating allegations.