UN report cites 254 West Bank airstrikes since 2023, accuses Israel and PA of rights abuses

The United Nations Commission of Inquiry reported that 254 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026. This figure marks a dramatic shift from the six deaths recorded by airstrikes in the same region between 2008 and October 6, 2023.

The report, released Monday, accuses Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in both the West Bank and Gaza. It also finds that the Palestinian Authority violated the right to life and security of person through arbitrary arrests, torture, and the targeting of journalists and activists. Despite these dual accusations, the document mentions Hamas exactly twice, with neither reference alleging a specific crime or wrongdoing by the group.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called the document a propaganda effort detached from reality. The ministry stated the report aims to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense and delegitimize the Jewish state while legitimizing jihadist terrorism. Officials rejected the commission’s verification methods, particularly regarding allegations of systematic sexual and gender-based violence, arguing that the IDF has clear rules prohibiting such misconduct.

The commission identified a pattern of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, verifying four additional cases since its March 2025 report. These cases include alleged gang rape, genital violence, and forced nudity. In one specific instance involving a male detainee at Megiddo Prison in 2025, officials allegedly blindfolded him, forced him to remove his lower garments, and repeatedly raped him with objects during interrogation. Guards reportedly mocked and photographed the victim, who suffered rectal bleeding without receiving medical treatment.

The findings link these abuses to a broader strategy of extermination and displacement. Srinivasan Muralidhar, the chair of the Commission of Inquiry, stated that the intentional killing of civilians and destruction of homes, combined with Israel’s denial of responsibility, aims to impose unliveable conditions on Palestinians. The report claims Israel continues genocidal acts with the intent to destroy the Palestinian people in whole or in part, even after a ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025.

Military operations in the West Bank have intensified since January 2025 with the launch of Operation Iron Wall. The commission noted that airstrikes became more frequent in refugee camps and areas around Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Nablus. The operation involved widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure, with the IDF stating it aimed to restore operational freedom of action. The commission cited statements from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and IDF Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth to assess military intentions.

Smotrich referred to two million Nazis in the West Bank in November 2023 and advocated for Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria in November 2024. He wrote in January 2025 that Fondouk, Nablus, and Jenin should look like Jabalia. Bluth reportedly told soldiers in May 2026 that they were killing like they had not since 1967. The commission used these statements to support its conclusion that Israeli authorities committed crimes against humanity involving torture and sexual violence.

The report also details abuses by the Palestinian Authority, including the killing of a journalism student in the Jenin refugee camp in December 2024. The student had documented alleged abuses by security forces and was killed by a single shot to the neck near her home. Witnesses said a security force member threatened to shoot her the previous day. The PA blamed outlaws for the killing, though the commission noted that key witnesses had not been asked to testify and that the PA failed to provide effective remedies to victims' families.

The commission found that annual Palestinian deaths in the West Bank have reached almost 500 since 2022. These numbers represent the highest recorded since the UN began collecting data on the topic in 2005. The report concludes that the PA ignored court orders for the release of detainees and failed to conduct prompt or impartial investigations into killings.