Alma’s apartment in Hebron was destroyed by Israeli soldiers just a few days ago. “Since 7 October, things have been much worse, there´s no mercy. People in my community are deeply affected and live in constant fear,” she says.
Increased violence and harassment by the Israeli settlers and soldiers
Hebron serves as a stark illustration of the Palestinian’s suffering under occupation: a pervasive climate of intimidation and coercion. The daily reality of people’s lives translates into restrictions of movements, forced evictions and displacement, house demolitions, search-and-arrest operations, disruption of schooling and the continuous presence of the Israeli military and settlers.
The recent escalation of the Israel-Gaza war has only exacerbated the violence and restrictions imposed on the Palestinians living in the West Bank. As of 2 January, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded that at least 198 Palestinian households comprising 1,208 people, including 586 children, have been displaced amid settler violence and access restrictions in the West Bank since 7 October. They represent 78 per cent of all displacement reported due to settler violence and access restrictions since the beginning of 2023.
