55 Palestinians killed in West Bank by Israeli fire so far this year: UN

A new UN report has documented the killing of 55 Palestinians in the West Bank by Israeli forces so far this year and reported that they were all killed with live ammunition. 

The report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also said that between 10-23 August, 221 Palestinians across the West Bank were injured by Israeli fire.

"Of those injured, three Palestinians were shot with live ammunition, 28 with rubber bullets, and the rest were mainly treated for tear gas inhalation or physical assault," the report said. 

"In addition to the 221 injured directly by Israeli forces, 23 were injured in Beita, either while running away from Israeli forces or in circumstances that could not be verified," it continued.  

Furthermore, during the same reporting period, 32 Palestinian-owned structures were destroyed, bringing the current total for 2021, to 624. 

Of those destroyed structures, 527 were located in Area C, while the remaining 97 were in East Jerusalem. 

The demolition of Palestinian-owned structures resulted in the displacement of 47 Palestinians, bringing the current Area C total for 2021 to 733. 

During the same two-week period, Israeli forces conducted 92 search and arrest operations across the West Bank, arresting 104 Palestinians. 

"Most of the operations took place in the Jerusalem and Hebron governorates," the report said. 

"Since 23 August, Israeli forces have closed the main entrance of Sinjil village in Ramallah with earth mounds, in addition to a nearby road, forcing local Palestinians to rely on long detours, disrupting their access to services and livelihoods. Around 7,000 Palestinian residents have been affected by the closure," it added.

The OCHA report also documented attack by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. During the reporting period, seven attacks were recorded. So far in 2021, 227 attacks by Israeli settlers, which resulted in property damage have been documented, while 94 attacks that resulted in casualties were recorded. 

"In one incident on 17 August, settlers struck a boy with their vehicle near Silat adh Dhahr village (Jenin), abducted him to the previously-evacuated Israeli settlement Homesh, tied him to a tree and beat him until he lost consciousness," the report said. 

The West Bank's Area C lies under full Israeli administrative and military control, and where the majority of Israeli settlements and other military infrastructure have been built.

It is home to some 385,900 Israeli settlers and 300,000 Palestinians, and contains most of the territories that Israel plans to annex as part of a controversial land-grab plan which has sparked international condemnation.

According to international law, the West Bank and East Jerusalem are viewed as occupied territories, and any settlement building that occurs is a violation and is deemed illegal.