Settlement, displacement, and demolition.. UNRWA: West Bank experiencing worst humanitarian crisis since 1967

The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, announced that the occupied West Bank is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis since 1967, due to the Israeli aggression on its camps and the forced displacement of tens of thousands from them.

Lazzarini stated in a post on the "X" platform on Friday: "The occupied West Bank is experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis since 1967."

He added: "One year after the start of the Israeli military operation called 'Iron Wall', 33,000 people remain forcibly displaced from Palestine refugee camps in the northern West Bank."

The Commissioner-General continued: "At the same time, Israeli forces continue to demolish large areas of the camps, reducing the chances of these communities recovering."

He pointed out that "UNRWA teams are working on the ground to assist newly displaced Palestine refugees who have been pushed into further poverty, in the absence of any meaningful alternatives for accessing healthcare, education, and social services."

Lazzarini concluded by saying: "UNRWA continues its work, but to continue this work, we need sustained political and financial support from member states."

Since the start of the genocide in the Gaza Strip on October 8, 2023, and for two years, Israel has intensified its crimes to annex the West Bank, especially through demolition, displacement of Palestinians, and expansion of settlements, according to the Palestinian authorities.

The United Nations considers settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal and warns that it undermines the chances of resolving the conflict according to the two-state solution principle (Palestinian and Israeli), and has been calling for its cessation for years without success.

The West Bank is witnessing an unprecedented escalation in attacks by the Israeli occupation army and settlers against residents, their property, and their livelihoods, with more than 1107 Palestinians martyred, about 11,000 injured, and more than 21,000 arrested since the start of Israeli operations in Gaza in October 2023.