Settler attacks have escalated in various parts of the West Bank, including Hebron, Jerusalem, Beitunia, Jalud and southern Nablus, alongside attempts to establish new settlement outposts and tighter restrictions on Palestinian movement through checkpoints, gates and closed roads.
Checkpoint restrictions hinder access to holy sites
An interactive map showed the distribution of attacks across several areas of the West Bank, while Palestinians face growing difficulties travelling because of the hundreds of Israeli checkpoints and obstacles. Measures at checkpoints and gates intensify during closure periods, hindering access to Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
The latest data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicate that more than 1,600 settler attacks were recorded from the beginning of 2026 until 14 September, causing Palestinian injuries, property damage or both. The attacks affected 275 Palestinian communities, an average of 6.7 attacks a day, compared with five attacks a day in 2025.
Attacks damage land, crops and services
Between 15 and 21 September, the UN office documented 51 settler attacks that caused injuries or property damage. The attacks targeted agricultural land, crops, trees and irrigation networks, damaging, uprooting or burning at least 800 olive, fruit and palm trees in five governorates. The attacks also disrupted essential services in several communities.
In Al-Masoudiya in Nablus governorate, about 65 Palestinians were left without electricity for more than 24 hours after the main power line was sabotaged. Further damage to electricity infrastructure was recorded in Susya and Umm al-Daraj in Hebron governorate, affecting homes and water-pumping facilities.
Damage to water networks deepens families’ hardship
In Khirbet Ras al-Ahmar and Khirbet Atuf, 58 families faced disrupted access to water for more than a month following damage attributed to settlers to the water network. Restrictions on vehicle movement since 15 September made water deliveries more difficult, forcing residents to rely on mobile tanks and water transported by tractors. The escalation in attacks coincided with continuing restrictions that isolate some Palestinian communities from their surroundings.
In the Ras al-Ain area of Qusra in Nablus governorate, three families faced strict movement restrictions from around 9 August after a nearby settlement outpost was established. By mid-September, the families were still unable to cross a military checkpoint regularly. In Qusra, the restrictions prevented a teacher and a five-year-old child from reaching their workplace and kindergarten after the school year began on 6 September.
UN data also reported that a Palestinian house under construction was vandalised on 1 September, with three walls damaged and two doors removed. In the village of Umm Safa, north of Ramallah, the two main entrances have remained closed since 7 October 2023, one by a gate and the other by earth mounds, forcing residents to use longer routes.
Closures disrupt education, healthcare, work and housing
The closures affected access to healthcare, education, work and municipal services, while ambulance travel times increased from about 10 minutes to about 25 minutes. The United Nations recorded 42 settler attacks in Umm Safa between 2023 and 2026, compared with seven attacks during the previous six years.
These attacks and restrictions accounted for about 60% of the displacement cases involving more than 4,300 Palestinians in the West Bank during the same period. In the week ending 21 September, Israeli forces’ operations and movement restrictions disrupted thousands of Palestinians’ access to homes, workplaces and essential services in Ramallah governorate.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education also suspended classes in the Ramallah and Jerusalem Suburbs education districts on 21 September amid closures and security operations.
