Israel forces using 'unwarranted lethal force' in West Bank, humanitarian group says

Israeli forces are engaging in "unwarranted use of lethal force" against Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank, a humanitarian group said on Friday.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said the first half of this year had seen a serious escalation of violence and rights violations in the Palestinian territory, adding that more than 1,000 people had been displaced and almost 160,000 negatively impacted by demolitions.

Israeli forces and settlers killed 228 Palestinians, among them 58 children, from January to June 2024, according to the United Nations, a jump of 65 percent on the same window last year.

"The data indicates that Israeli forces are deploying unwarranted use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians," NRC country director in Palestine Ana Povrzenic said in a press release.

"We cannot separate the worsening conditions in the West Bank from the actions of senior Israeli officials aimed to establish sovereignty over the West Bank, in violation of international law."

The NRC's remarks come as the International Court of Justice is to give an advisory opinion on Israel's occupation of Palestine on Friday.

Israeli forces have almost doubled the number of so-called "search and arrest" operations in the West Bank, increasing to 3,384 in the first half of this year from 1,873 in same time frame in 2023.

Intensifying raids

Israeli raids have intensified, particularly in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, using military tactics and heavy arms against civilians, including airstrikes.

These operations have resulted in the destruction of 81 structures and the displacement of 499 Palestinians in just these areas.

"The Israeli army did not differentiate between a stone, a tree, or a human being," said Nur Shams camp resident Nihaya Al-Jundi.

"No person and no home are safe, not even those with the elderly, people with disabilities, or children."

In Nur Shams, 242 Palestinians were displaced, and a youth centre, nursery school, and hall were destroyed.

NRC said Israel's "unlawful demolition" of Palestinian property had "reached unprecedented levels", adding that by 30 June, 643 structures had been destroyed, a 42 percent rise on the same period last year.

"In most of these cases, Israel reports the structures lack Israeli-issued building permits, which are virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain," NRC said.

Settler attacks have also risen to 649 incidents recorded in the first half of this year, up on 598 in 2023.

In April, a settler attack in the village of Duma led to "homes and livelihood structures" being destroyed, NRC said.

Resident Izzat Dawabsh said that anybody who "defended himself in any way" was "shot or detained".

"While some states have imposed sanctions against individual violent settlers, this has had limited impact in reducing rates of violence," Povrzenic said.

"States must do more to hold the state of Israel, its central and local governments, and security forces – not just individual offenders – accountable for grave breaches of international law."

Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank began in 1967.

The desperate situation in the territory comes as Israel wages a brutal war on Gaza, which began in October.

The offensive has killed at least 38,848 people in the strip, according to its health ministry.