The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of communities in eastern Deir al-Balah, northern Khan Younis and western Gaza City. UN calls for accountability for killing of Palestinian in West Bank Peace and Security
Those responsible for the attack on the Palestinian village of Jit in the occupied West Bank should be brought to justice, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said on Friday.
At least one Palestinian was killed in an attack by extremist Israeli settlers on the West Bank village of Jit on Friday night, according to media reports. Dozens of settlers threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the homes and cars of Palestinian villagers.
OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani called the incident “horrific” in the West Bank. She noted that it was “not an isolated attack” and that Israeli settler violence against Palestinian communities has been going on for many years. She said the incident was a direct consequence of Israel’s occupation policies.
“We have repeatedly reported on settler attacks against Palestinian communities on their lands in the West Bank over the past years, and have highlighted the core of the problem – the impunity enjoyed by those who commit such acts,” Shamdasani said.
Settler Impunity
According to the latest OHCHR monitoring, 609 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October. This includes 146 children, eight women and at least four people with disabilities.
“It is clear that this must end, and bringing those responsible to justice is key,” the OHCHR spokeswoman said. “There were very few investigations, but even where they were conducted, in most cases the process did not end with justice for the victims and conviction of the perpetrators. There are reports of Israeli security forces standing by when attacks occur, and there are reports of weapons being distributed to settlers, so the state’s responsibility in this regard is clear.”
Abridged “humanitarian zone” in Gaza
In Gaza, the Israeli military issued new orders to evacuate communities in eastern Deir al-Balah, northern Khan Yunis, western Gaza City and other areas. The IDF announced the orders through airdropped leaflets and messages sent to mobile phones.
On Friday, the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA) said that evacuation orders apply to areas “even inside the so-called humanitarian zone.”
Gazans “remain trapped in an endless nightmare and destruction on a staggering scale,” UNRWA said.
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“Combat and systematic evacuation orders lead to an endless cycle of displacement and make it increasingly difficult for people to access to the humanitarian assistance they need to survive after ten months of war,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
Commenting on reports that relatives Gazans killed in the war are unable to receive dignified funerals, OCHA noted that grieving families “have little time to mourn as they themselves face death, pain, hunger and thirst every day.”