Kuwait city: The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) confirmed on Tuesday that June 2025 recorded the highest number of Palestinian injuries in a single month in more than 20 years, with 96 Palestinians injured by Israeli occupation settlers.
According to Kuwait News Agency, OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan reported at a press briefing in Geneva that at least 964 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, by Israeli occupation forces and settlers since October 7, 2023.
Al-Kheetan added that between January and mid-2025, the UN documented 757 settler attacks resulting in injuries to Palestinians or damage to their property, representing a 13 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.
"Since the launch of Israeli occupation's operation 'Iron Wall' in the north of the occupied West Bank earlier this year, Israeli occupation forces have issued demolition orders for nearly 1,400 homes," Al-Kheetan stated. He emphasized that these large-scale demolitions violate Israel's obligations as the occupying power under international law and warned that permanent demographic change in occupied territory may amount to a war crime and could constitute a form of ethnic cleansing.
He reported that 2,907 Palestinians have been displaced due to home demolitions since October 7, while an additional 2,400-nearly half of them children-have been forcibly displaced due to settler violence. "Large parts of the West Bank have effectively been emptied of their Palestinian residents," he said.
Al-Kheetan noted that around 30,000 Palestinians remain forcibly displaced due to "Iron Wall" operations and condemned the use of live ammunition by Israeli forces against unarmed civilians, including those trying to return to homes in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams refugee camps. He warned of escalating violence in recent weeks, including killings, harassment, and the mass demolition of homes, describing it as part of a policy of gradual annexation of the West Bank, which breaches international law.
The spokesperson cited the killing of two-year-old Laila Khatib, who was fatally shot in the head by the Israeli occupation forces inside her home in Ash-Shuhada village near Jenin on January 25.
Regarding Gaza, Al-Kheetan expressed serious concern about reported plans to create a so-called "humanitarian city" in Rafah and proposals for the "voluntary" transfer of Palestinians to other countries. He warned such measures could amount to forced population transfer, especially given the lack of humanitarian aid. He stated that genuine voluntary relocation cannot occur unless Palestinians are first offered the option to remain in Gaza with dignity and in acceptable living conditions.
Al-Kheetan reiterated that the permanent displacement of civilians from occupied territories is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and may constitute a crime against humanity. He called on the Israeli occupation forces to immediately halt killings, harassment, and demolitions across the occupied Palestinian territories, reminding them of their legal duty as an occupying power to ensure public order and protect civilians from settler attacks and unlawful use of force.
Al-Kheetan also urged independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigations into all killings and alleged international law violations, calling for full accountability. He concluded by reiterating the UN's call for the Israeli occupation to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, in line with the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice.