UN raises alarm over Israeli violence against Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - NEW YORK — The United Nations has voiced concern over continued Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and rising settler violence in the West Bank, warning of civilian casualties and growing obstacles to humanitarian operations.

UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said reports indicated civilians had been killed in Gaza and that the Al-Aqsa Hospital complex had been damaged in an Israeli strike.

“We are particularly concerned about reports of civilian casualties, including a child in Gaza, as well as damage to the Al-Aqsa Hospital complex in Deir Al-Balah as a result of one of the strikes,” Dujarric told a news briefing.

He reiterated that civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, must be protected.

The UN and its humanitarian partners are preparing for Gaza’s rainy season, seeking to address flood risks in hundreds of locations across the territory, Dujarric said.

Those efforts are being hampered by funding shortages, Israeli restrictions on the entry and quantity of materials, and shortages of engine oil, spare parts and heavy machinery.

Humanitarian operations are also constrained by a lack of access to much of Gaza, including areas less vulnerable to flooding that could be used to accommodate tents, he said.

In the occupied West Bank, Dujarric said settler violence continued across several areas, including theft, arson, vandalism and physical attacks.

He cited an attack on a home in Qusra, near Nablus, less than half a kilometer from an area where three families have been left isolated following the establishment of a new settlement outpost.

Attacks by settlers and Israeli forces around Ramallah also injured 12 Palestinians and at times obstructed the movement of people and vehicles, including ambulances, Dujarric said.

The occupied West Bank has seen a sharp rise in attacks by Israeli forces and settlers, as well as demolitions and land seizures.

A total of 5,209 Israeli occupiers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem in August, while Israeli forces killed two Palestinians and detained 114, including five children, the Jerusalem authorities said on Tuesday.

In its monthly report, the Jerusalem governorate said Al-Aqsa witnessed continued and intensified incursions and Jewish religious rituals inside the compound and around its gates throughout August, under direct protection from Israeli police.

The governorate said it recorded 5,209 incursions into the Al-Aqsa compound, with one of the highest daily totals recorded on Aug. 13, when 751 Jewish settlers entered the site.

It also said Israeli authorities issued five orders barring Palestinian citizens from entering Al-Aqsa.

Since 2003, Israeli police have allowed Jewish settlers to enter the mosque compound. The Islamic Waqf Department in Jerusalem maintains that Al-Aqsa is exclusively a Muslim holy site and has repeatedly demanded an end to the incursions.

In addition, the governorate recorded 40 demolition and land-clearing operations targeting homes, structures and land in Jerusalem, along with 86 demolition or stop-work notices and orders.

The developments come as Israeli media report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to escalate tensions to appease far-right parties ahead of the Knesset elections on Oct. 27.

Palestinians accuse Israel of intensifying measures aimed at Judaizing occupied Jerusalem, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, and erasing its Arab and Islamic identity.

Cities, towns and refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, have been subjected to repeated Israeli raids and arrests, alongside an increase in settler attacks against Palestinians and their property since Israel launched its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.