Three Palestinian men were killed over the weekend in an exchange of fire with Israeli forces and by an Israeli airstrike in Jenin, according to Palestinian officials and the United Nations. The UN Human Rights Office said the use of airstrikes in the occupied West Bank is “unlawful” under international law.
“The use of weapons and tactics developed for warfare, such as airstrikes, is inconsistent with the standards of international human rights law applicable to civilian law enforcement,” the UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said in a statement. It added that firearms or similarly lethal weapons should only be used as a last resort to protect against an imminent threat of death or serious injury, and that “extrajudicial executions, regardless of the target, are unlawful at all times.”
The three men were killed on October 28 after Israeli forces reportedly surrounded a cave near Kafr Qud village in the Jenin governorate, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Israeli forces withheld the men’s bodies following the raid.
The latest deaths come amid a surge of violence across the West Bank. Between October 21 and 27, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Nablus and Hebron governorates, including one man who died after being shot during a raid in Askar Camp. Another man was killed while trying to cross the separation barrier near Hebron to reach Israel for work.
OCHA reported that 52 Palestinians, including eight children, and five Israeli settlers were injured during the same week. Thirty-nine of the Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces, and 13 by settlers.
Surge in Settler Violence During Olive Harvest
OCHA recorded 60 Israeli settler attacks across the West Bank between October 21 and 27, more than half related to the ongoing olive harvest, resulting in 17 Palestinian injuries and extensive property damage.
The 2025 olive harvest season has seen the highest number of settler attacks and affected communities since 2020, with 126 incidents recorded in 70 towns and villages. More than 4,000 olive trees and saplings have been vandalised so far this year.
Settlers from newly established outposts have also imposed restrictions on Palestinians’ access to their olive groves, including in areas that were previously accessible without coordination with Israeli authorities.
In one attack on October 24, dozens of armed settlers raided Al Mughayyir village in the Ramallah governorate, burning vehicles and attempting to set fire to a house. On October 23, settlers cut water pipelines to the Mikhmas Bedouin community near Jerusalem and later returned to burn six structures, forcing residents to flee.
Demolitions and Military Operations Continue
Israeli forces demolished 11 Palestinian-owned structures across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between October 21 and 27. Ten were razed for lacking Israeli-issued building permits, which Palestinians say are nearly impossible to obtain, and one was demolished on punitive grounds in Salfit governorate.
In Nablus, Israeli forces raided Burin village on October 21, converting two homes into temporary military observation posts and displacing two families overnight. The next day, 21 Palestinians were injured in clashes during another raid in Nablus city.
Israeli forces also detonated two residential buildings in Tulkarm’s Nur Shams refugee camp on October 26, rendering them uninhabitable. The structures had been vacant since residents were displaced earlier this year during ongoing military operations.
Since the war in Gaza began in October 2023, violence and restrictions in the West Bank have sharply escalated. The UN says Israeli settler violence has reached record levels, contributing to mass displacement and further restricting Palestinians’ access to land and livelihoods.
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