UN warns of worsening violence against Palestinians in West Bank

RAMALLAH, West Bank (MNTV) — The United Nations has warned that humanitarian conditions in the occupied West Bank continued to deteriorate in early January 2026, citing fatalities, forced evictions, and growing pressure on aid operations.

On January 1, Israeli forces shot and injured two Palestinians in Al Lubban ash Sharqiyya village in Nablus governorate, according to UN humanitarian officials. One of the injured men was arrested and later pronounced dead in an Israeli hospital, the report said.

On January 4, Israeli police forcibly evicted two Palestinian families from their homes in the Batn al Hawa area of Silwan in East Jerusalem, displacing eight people, including three children. 

The eviction was carried out in favor of an Israeli settler organization, following a rejected legal appeal by the families.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Batn al Hawa eviction was part of a broader pattern of forced displacement in East Jerusalem, warning of serious social, economic, and psychological consequences, particularly for children.

Humanitarian agencies also reiterated concerns over access restrictions and settler-related pressures that continue to create what the UN described as a “coercive environment” for Palestinian communities in several parts of the West Bank.

As of January 6, donor states had provided approximately $1.6 billion, or about 40 percent, of the funds required under the humanitarian response plan covering Gaza and the West Bank. 

The UN and its partners are seeking more than $4 billion to meet critical needs across the occupied Palestinian territory in 2026, with the majority of funding allocated to Gaza and a smaller share to the West Bank.

OCHA said funding gaps risk undermining life-saving assistance for vulnerable communities, including families affected by evictions, violence, and movement restrictions.