A United Nations investigation released Tuesday concluded that Israeli military personnel actively protect settlers during violent confrontations with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, with Israeli authorities providing direct support for these attacks.
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory determined that Israeli officials have facilitated settler violence through economic backing and military assistance, creating an environment where perpetrators face no consequences due to weak judicial oversight and law enforcement.
According to the investigation, violent incidents targeting Palestinian communities and farmland have dramatically increased since 2023, climbing 130% and often involving groups of masked attackers. Israeli military personnel regularly escort settlers and serve as protection during these violent encounters, the commission reported.
Neither the Israeli Prime Minister Office nor military officials provided immediate responses when asked for comment.
Israel denies allegations that its forces protect settlers during West Bank attacks on Palestinians, characterizing such incidents as unauthorized actions that breach military guidelines and undergo investigation. Both Israeli and Palestinian advocacy organizations report that these investigations seldom result in disciplinary action.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers reside alongside millions of Palestinians in territory Israel seized during the 1967 conflict, where Palestinians aspire to establish their own nation. The majority of nations and the U.N.’s highest court view these settlements as violations of international law, though Israel contests this interpretation, pointing to historical and biblical connections to the region.
United Nations data shows at least seven Palestinians died and 832 sustained injuries last year, with violence persisting into 2026 through almost daily assaults.
“The increasing participation of Israeli security forces in settler attacks amounts to a de facto collapse of the distinction between settlers and soldiers,” the investigation concluded.
The commission determined that such violence serves to advance government objectives, including the illegal occupation, forced removal of Palestinians, and territorial annexation of Palestinian land.
Investigators documented instances of physical attacks, kidnappings, and mistreatment of Palestinian minors by settlers. One case from April 19, 2025, involved a 12-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother being kidnapped at knifepoint, taken to an olive grove, and restrained to a tree with plastic ties until family members rescued them.
Last July, the International Court of Justice issued a non-binding legal opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlement construction illegal, recommending immediate withdrawal in its most definitive ruling on the dispute to date.
The investigation also found that settlers engaged in or threatened sexual violence to create fear and intimidated Palestinian women.
“The relentless, daily assaults by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are intolerable — and must end,” stated commission leader S. Muralidhar, an Indian former senior judge. He called on the international community to pressure Israel to eliminate settlements and outposts while stopping the violence.
The investigation found that despite occasional criticism and removal of some unauthorized outposts, Israeli officials have failed to implement lasting measures to halt the attacks.
HAMAS VIOLATIONS
The commission also expressed serious concern about severe violations it documented in the Gaza Strip, another Palestinian territory, committed by the militant organization Hamas that governs the area.
Hamas officials did not provide immediate responses regarding the investigation’s conclusions.
The commission discovered that Hamas-connected forces participated in at least 60 of 249 documented cases of executions and brutal physical violence from 2024 to 2025, including beatings with metal pipes and deliberate bone-breaking as punishment for suspected cooperation with Israel or stealing aid supplies.
Two incidents involved the public execution of 11 men. The Commission classified these actions as war crimes and breaches of international law.
The investigation determined that the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas and other armed organizations, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and included hostage-taking and property destruction, constituted war crimes. These attacks triggered an Israeli military campaign in Gaza that has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths and widespread territorial destruction.
An earlier commission report concluded that Israel had committed genocide during its Gaza military operation, with senior Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, encouraging these actions. Israel dismissed these claims as “scandalous.”
