UN condemns illegal Israeli settler attacks that killed Palestinians in occupied West Bank

The UN on Thursday condemned violent attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank that left three Palestinians dead, calling on Israel to uphold its responsibility to protect civilians, Anadolu reports.

“We condemn the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. Yesterday, OCHA documented an attack where three Palestinians were killed and others injured,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a news conference.

He said “international law must be respected and those responsible for these attacks must be held to account,” adding: “We reiterate, once again, our call on Israel to protect civilians in the West Bank.”

Dujarric also voiced alarm at the daily toll on civilians in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli military operations since October 2023 have killed more than 56,000 people and created risks of famine.

“Civilians continue to be killed and they continue to be injured daily, whether in Israeli airstrikes, shelling or while just trying to find food for their families,” he said. “These tragic events must not be accepted as normal ever.”

Expressing concerns about restrictions on aid operations in the enclave, he reported that “yesterday, six out of 17 attempts to coordinate humanitarian movements inside Gaza were outright rejected by the Israeli authorities,” adding that the denied requests included trucking water and repairing roads.

“Nine other attempts, which included the removal of solid waste and collection of cargo from crossings, were facilitated by the Israeli authorities, while two additional attempts were impeded,” he said.

“The continuing restrictions on humanitarian access are severely undermining life-saving operations,” Dujarric warned.