Jerusalem, Israel. A U.N. inquiry said on Tuesday that Israeli authorities were directly involved in settler attacks that killed, injured and displaced Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and that Israeli security forces provided protection to settlers. The report also found that Hamas had committed war crimes against both Palestinians and Israelis.
Findings of the inquiry
The report by the Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said Israeli authorities enabled settler attacks through financial and military support in a climate of impunity fostered by judicial and law-enforcement bodies.
It said Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land had surged since 2023, rising by 130%, including incidents involving groups of masked assailants. According to the report, Israeli security forces routinely accompanied settlers and acted as a shield for the violence.
“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 said.
The inquiry said such violence had been used to advance state policy, including the unlawful occupation, displacement of Palestinians and the annexation of Palestinian territory.
Responses and disputed accounts
The Israeli prime minister’s office and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and Hamas also did not immediately respond.
Israel rejects accusations that its troops shield settlers during attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank, saying such actions are rogue incidents that violate military protocol and are investigated. Israeli and Palestinian rights groups say such investigations rarely lead to punishment.
Settlement context and casualties
Hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers live among millions of Palestinians on land Israel captured in a 1967 war. Most countries consider the settlements a violation of international law, a position upheld in a 2024 ruling by the U.N.’s top court. Israel disputes this, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.
According to the United Nations, at least seven Palestinians were killed and 832 injured last year, with violence continuing into 2026 in the form of near-daily attacks.
Documented incidents
The commission documented cases of assaults, abductions and abuse of Palestinian children by settlers. In one incident on April 19, 2025, a 12-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother were abducted at knifepoint, dragged to an olive grove and tied to a tree with plastic restraints until their family intervened.
