UN Commission Details 254 West Bank Airstrike Deaths

A United Nations commission released a report on Monday detailing 254 Palestinian deaths caused by Israeli airstrikes in the West Bank between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026. The document marks a sharp increase from the six deaths recorded between 2008 and October 6, 2023.

Srinivasan Muralidhar, the Indian jurist chairing the Commission of Inquiry, stated that the killing of civilians and destruction of homes form a strategy to displace Palestinians. The report notes that airstrikes became more frequent after the launch of Operation Iron Wall in January 2025. This campaign focused on refugee camps and areas near Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Nablus.

The commission cited statements from Israeli officials to assess military intent. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich referred to “two million Nazis” in the West Bank in November 2023. In January 2025, he wrote that Fondouk, Nablus, and Jenin should “look like Jabalia.” Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, head of the IDF Central Command, reportedly told soldiers in May 2026 that they were “killing like we haven’t since 1967.”

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called the document a “propaganda document detached from reality.” The ministry argued the report aims to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense and delegitimize the state. The commission also found that nearly 500 Palestinians were killed annually in the West Bank since 2022, the highest numbers recorded since 2005.

The report accuses the Palestinian Authority of violating the right to life and security. It details arbitrary arrests, torture, and the targeting of journalists and activists. In December 2024, a journalism student was killed by a single shot to the neck in Jenin refugee camp after documenting alleged abuses by security forces. The commission noted that key witnesses were not asked to testify in that case.

The commission also verified four additional cases of sexual violence against detainees since March 2025. One case involved a male detainee at Megiddo Prison in 2025 who was allegedly blindfolded and raped with objects during interrogation. The report claims these acts were part of a broader attack against the civilian population and concluded that Israeli authorities committed crimes against humanity.

Hamas is named exactly twice in the report, and neither mention accused the group of committing a crime. The commission stated that Israel continued “genocidal acts” despite a ceasefire agreement that went into effect in October 2025.