Since the pause in hostilities in Gaza took effect, the humanitarian situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has deteriorated significantly. A number of new checkpoints were set up, at least 20 new iron gates were reportedly installed at entrances of towns, and movement restrictions intensified all over the West Bank, cutting villages from cities, impeding access to services.
On 21 January, the Israeli forces launched a major military operation in Jenin, which included airstrikes alongside ground force operations. The operation was extended to Tulkarem on 27 January and to Tammun and El Far'a refugee camp. Using tactics reminiscent of the atrocities witnessed in Gaza such as sieges, airstrikes, and movement restrictions, the operation has led to a level of violence, destruction and mass displacement in the West Bank not seen since the Second Intifada. The average number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank during the two weeks following the pause in hostilities in Gaza tripled, compared to the same period immediately prior.
More than 40,000 people have been forcibly displaced from Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur Shams, and El Far’a refugee camps, with many communities besieged, or cut off from essential services, worsening food insecurity and making life increasingly untenable.
Settler violence has also continued to increase. In many cases, Israeli soldiers were present or taking part in these attacks, reflecting an ongoing pattern of state-backed violence that deepens threats to Palestinians and undermines humanitarian efforts.
Israeli military and settler violence in the West Bank has been on the rise since at least April 2022, with 2023 marking the deadliest year in the West Bank since the UN started systematically monitoring these numbers. Violence and killings remained at high levels in 2024, as Israeli forces continued to use disproportionate, unnecessary, and indiscriminate force - including airstrikes on civilian areas and attacks on medical facilities - which constitute apparent violations of international human rights laws on the use of force.
In parallel, the Government of Israel’s de facto annexation of the West Bank is progressing quickly in breach of international law, as outlined in the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice. On 24 February 2025, Israeli forces further escalated its military operations in the occupied West Bank, deploying tanks in the north for the first time in 20 years. Israeli officials have reportedly indicated that displaced Palestinian residents will not be allowed to return to their homes for at least a year. Their presence in urban areas such as Jenin will likely severely disrupt humanitarian operations, obstructing aid delivery and restricting civilian movement.
This snapshot offers an analysis of the impact of what the UN has described as the unlawful use of force by Israeli forces, movement restrictions, and settler attacks have had on humanitarian organisations’ ability to access affected communities since the pause in hostilities took effect in Gaza on January 19 2025. Findings reveal that as the Israeli government has systematically undermined the unfettered access of aid in Gaza prior to pause in hostilities, similar patterns are emerging in the West Bank.
