West Bank Sees Bloodiest Year as 76 Palestinians Killed Amidst Settler Violence
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, recent data published by the Palestine Information Center, citing Mehr News Agency, reveals that Israeli regime attacks on unarmed Palestinian residents in the West Bank have resulted in at least 76 fatalities so far this year.
In the latest incident, Israeli regime forces shot and killed a young Palestinian man and a teenager in the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, concurrently with settlers attacking to steal Palestinian livestock. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed from Al-Mughayyir village this year to five, three of whom were killed by Israeli settlers. This situation has heightened concerns among human rights organizations regarding the escalation of settler attacks in the West Bank into more lethal violence, often under the protection of the Israeli regime’s army.
A report from the Directorate of Resistance Against the Separation Wall and Settlements indicates that 2,030 attacks were recorded in the West Bank in August alone. Of these, 1,402 were carried out by Israeli regime forces and 628 by settlers. The most frequent settler attacks were registered in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate with 157 incidents, Nablus with 137, and Hebron with 120.
During August, settlers attempted to establish 32 new settlement outposts. Combined attacks by soldiers and settlers on agricultural lands led to the destruction of 21,508 trees, including 19,375 olive trees. Additionally, 164 Palestinians, including 20 children and 17 women, were directly injured as a result of settler attacks.
Human Rights Watch recently reported in a document titled ‘West Bank: Israel-Backed Settler Violence Drives Displacement,’ that 2026 is on track to set a new record for settler attacks. These violent actions are playing an increasingly significant role in forcing Palestinians to leave their villages and residential areas.
According to statistics from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the average number of settler attacks resulting in Palestinian injuries or property damage has reached 6.6 incidents per day, the highest figure recorded by the office. UN data shows that since the beginning of the year, over 1,430 instances of settler violence have been registered, affecting approximately 260 Palestinian communities.
The UN also announced that as of August 10, 2026, 76 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli regime soldiers or settlers. Furthermore, approximately 3,800 Palestinians have been displaced since the start of the year due to settler violence, home demolitions, and forced displacement operations.
The European Union expressed concern on August 21 regarding the situation in Qasra village, south of Nablus, where Palestinian families had been confined to their homes for over a week due to settler attacks. The EU called for an end to intimidation, harassment, property destruction, and physical assaults against Palestinians, urging the Israeli regime to take decisive action to halt these attacks and prosecute those responsible.
‘Salah Khawaja,’ Director of the Directorate of Resistance Against the Separation Wall and Settlements in the central West Bank, stated that 2026 has so far been the bloodiest year in terms of settler attacks. He noted that in 2019, one Palestinian was killed by settlers; in 2020, two; and in 2021, five. In contrast, in the first half of 2026 alone, 20 Palestinians were killed by settlers.
