Key facts
- Over 2,500 Palestinians displaced in the West Bank in 2026 due to Israeli settler violence, according to the UN.
- Half of those displaced in 2026 are children.
- Since 2023, over 6,400 Palestinians have been displaced from 130 communities.
- Settlers responsible for attacks receive financial, material, and legal backing from the Israeli state.
- Human Rights Watch reported that Israeli authorities are enabling settler violence.
- Since January 2026, nearly 1,700 Palestinians have been displaced by settler attacks and access restrictions.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that Israeli settler violence has led to the displacement of over 2,500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in 2026. This figure represents half of the total number of Palestinians displaced since 2023, which stands at over 6,400 across 130 communities.
OCHA stated that children constitute half of the 2,500 individuals forced to leave their homes this year. Since 2023, 48 Palestinian communities have been fully displaced, with a dozen experiencing this in 2026 alone. Humanitarian partners have expressed concern that the cumulative impact of repeated displacement, settler attacks, damage to homes and infrastructure, and restrictions on essential services is exacerbating humanitarian needs.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) further detailed that escalating Israeli settler attacks have fully or partially displaced 107 communities since January 2023, coinciding with unprecedented settlement expansion. HRW asserts that settlers responsible for these attacks receive financial, material, and legal backing from the Israeli state, and that attacks often occur alongside Israeli army units or with soldiers present but not intervening. The organization investigated multiple communities in April and May, documenting organized attacks targeting livelihoods, including livestock theft and destruction of agricultural fields.
According to OCHA, the number of Palestinians forcibly displaced by settler attacks, demolitions, and evictions in the first four months of 2026 exceeded the total for the entirety of 2025. The UN agency has documented an average of 6.6 settler attacks per day that resulted in casualties or property damage, a rate higher than any year on record. While the Israeli military is responsible for most killings in the West Bank, fatalities attributed to settlers have risen sharply.