UN commission reports more than 1,000 Palestinians killed in West Bank since October 2023

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said Tuesday that Israeli forces had killed 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between Oct. 7, 2023, and Sept. 30. Presenting the findings during a hybrid briefing, with all three members participating virtually, Srinivasan Muralidhar of India said the commission documented the deaths and thousands of injuries during the period.

Muralidhar said the fatalities included at least 784 men, 237 boys, 22 women and seven girls. He said 10,009 Palestinians had also been injured by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The commission called for the international community to take stronger measures regarding Israel’s occupation and settlement activities, urged all states not to recognize the occupation or settlements as lawful and not to provide political, military or economic assistance that helps maintain them.

"Unless there is sufficient pressure brought upon by the international community, and in particular the Security Council upon Israel to honor its commitments and international law ... and to take decisive action in stopping Israel from continuing with its acts of genocide in Gaza and crimes against humanity in West Bank, we are not going to see any resolution, immediate resolution, to the very, very grave crisis," said Muralidhar. He also urged international actors, particularly the US, to reconsider assistance to Israel, arguing that greater pressure was necessary to halt "this continuing campaign of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity."

Chris Sidoti, an Australian member of the commission, said that its legal analysis had concluded that Israel, “through its political and military authorities, was responsible for the commission of crimes against humanity, of extermination, persecution, torture, rape, and other sexual violence in the West Bank, including through the intentional targeting of Palestinian civilians.” Florence Mumba of Zambia, another commission member, said Israeli authorities and settlers were seeking to acquire more land and displace Palestinians through violence and mistreatment.

"It's obvious that the aim by the Israeli authorities and the settlers is to get as much land as possible, get the Palestinians out of the area by ill-treating them, killing them, sexual violence against them, killing the children," she said. The occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has seen escalating Israeli military attacks and occupier violence since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.