A United Nations inquiry on Tuesday accused Israeli authorities of being directly involved in settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, alleging that Israeli security forces have protected settlers during incidents that resulted in deaths, injuries and displacement.
The report by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory stated that Israeli authorities enabled settler violence through financial and military backing while a climate of impunity was maintained by judicial and law enforcement institutions.
According to the findings, attacks targeting Palestinian villages and farmland have increased sharply since 2023, rising by 130 percent, including assaults carried out by masked groups. The report alleged that Israeli security personnel frequently accompanied settlers and acted as protection during these attacks.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli military did not immediately issue a response to the allegations.
Israel has consistently rejected accusations that its forces shield settlers during attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli authorities have described such incidents as isolated violations of military rules that are investigated. However, both Israeli and Palestinian rights groups have argued that these investigations rarely result in punishment.
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers currently live among millions of Palestinians in territories captured by Israel during the 1967 war. Palestinians seek to establish a future state in these areas. Most countries and the UN’s top court consider the settlements illegal under international law, a position disputed by Israel, which cites historical and biblical connections to the land.
The United Nations said at least seven Palestinians were killed and 832 injured last year, while violence has continued through 2026 with near daily attacks.
“The increasing participation of Israeli security forces in settler attacks amounts to a de facto collapse of the distinction between settlers and soldiers,” the report stated.
The inquiry further said that such violence had become part of broader state policy linked to occupation, displacement of Palestinians and annexation of Palestinian territory.
Investigators documented several incidents involving assaults, abductions and abuse of Palestinian children by settlers. In one case cited in the report, a 12 year old girl and her 3 year old brother were allegedly abducted at knifepoint on April 19, 2025, dragged to an olive grove and tied to a tree with plastic restraints before family members intervened.
In July 2024, the International Court of Justice issued a non binding advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its settlements illegal and calling for their withdrawal as soon as possible.
The Commission also accused settlers of using or threatening sexual violence to intimidate Palestinians and harassing Palestinian women.
“The relentless, daily assaults by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are intolerable and must end,” said commission chair S. Muralidhar, who urged the international community to pressure Israel to dismantle settlements and stop the violence.
The report added that despite occasional condemnations and the removal of some unauthorised outposts, Israeli authorities had failed to take sustained action to halt the attacks.
The inquiry also expressed concern over serious abuses committed in Gaza by the militant group Hamas.
Hamas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the Commission, Hamas affiliated forces were linked to at least 60 out of 249 documented cases involving executions and severe violence between 2024 and 2025. The report described incidents involving beatings with metal pipes and bone breaking as punishment for alleged collaboration with Israel or looting aid supplies.
In two cases, the report said, 11 men were publicly executed. The Commission concluded that such acts amount to war crimes and violations of international law.
The inquiry further stated that the October 7, 2023 attacks carried out by Hamas and other armed groups against Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and included hostage taking and property destruction, also amounted to war crimes.
Those attacks triggered Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and devastated large parts of the territory.
A previous report by the Commission accused Israel of committing genocide during its operations in Gaza and alleged that senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, had incited such acts. Israel dismissed those allegations as “scandalous”.
