West Bank Settler Violence Hits 20-Year High: 170 Palestinians Injured in March Alone

About 170 Palestinians were injured by Israeli settlers in March 2026 -- the highest monthly count since the United Nations began documenting settler violence in 2006. The figure nearly matched entire annual totals from earlier years and marked a sharp acceleration in a pattern the UN has called "state-backed settler terrorism."

The data comes from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, whose latest situation report documents over 580 settler attacks across more than 190 West Bank communities so far in 2026. Eight Palestinians have been killed by settlers. The daily injury rate has risen to 3.8 people per day, up from 2.3 per day in 2025 and far above the 2024 average of roughly one per day.

The displacement surge

More than 1,800 Palestinians have been displaced by settler violence in 2026 as of early April, already exceeding the total number displaced by settler attacks in all of 2025. Sixty percent of the displacement has occurred in the Jordan Valley.

In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities have demolished 79 Palestinian-owned structures since January 1, displacing 30 households -- 142 people, including 72 children.

A single week in early April illustrates the scale: between March 31 and April 6, OCHA documented 47 settler attacks across 36 communities, injuring 50 Palestinians including 10 children and 5 women. Attackers damaged more than 250 trees and saplings, 7 homes, 5 agricultural structures, and more than 20 vehicles, and targeted water and electricity infrastructure.

Pattern of coordinated violence

The attacks follow a documented pattern. Armed settler groups operate with Israeli military protection, entering Palestinian villages and opening fire on residents. On March 3, settlers and Israeli military forces raided the village of Qaryut in Nablus District, killing two Palestinians. Ambulances were blocked for over an hour. On April 11, settlers killed 23-year-old Ali Majed Hamadneh during a raid on Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah. In a separate attack, 28-year-old Alaa Khaled Sabih was shot and killed when armed settlers attacked Tayasir, east of Tubas.

Nine UN Special Rapporteurs and independent experts issued two statements in March and April condemning the violence. The March 19 statement, signed by experts including Francesca Albanese (Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian territories) and Balakrishnan Rajagopal (Special Rapporteur on adequate housing), described the violence as coordinated ethnic cleansing.

"This is an example of coordinated implementation of Israel's annexation and ethnic cleansing policy by occupation forces and settlers," the experts wrote. They cited reports that arms and vehicles have been provided to settler groups, calling the settlers "state-backed terror squads" that Israeli authorities rely on to "do the groundwork" of displacement.

The Ben Gvir factor

The UN experts specifically cited Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir's statement that "Jews are above the law in the West Bank" and his policy of granting firearm licenses to settlers. Between February 3 and 16, OCHA documented at least 86 settler attacks across 60 communities.

Since late February, most road gates in the West Bank have been closed by Israeli occupation forces, further restricting Palestinian movement. A military closure order affecting Tulkarm, Nur Shams, and Jenin refugee camps has been extended through May 31, displacing more than 33,000 Palestine refugees from northern West Bank camps since January 2025.

The April 13 statement

The most recent UN statement, issued April 13 by the same group of experts, expanded the condemnation to include attacks on displacement shelters in Gaza, where 92% of housing has been destroyed.

"This cycle of displacement, terror, and targeted attacks serves an ultimate purpose: to make life unbearable for Palestinians and permanently force them from their land," the experts wrote.

The experts called for ending the occupation, protecting civilians in displacement sites, guaranteeing unimpeded humanitarian access, and ensuring international accountability investigations.