United Nations human rights experts have issued a sharp condemnation of attacks on displacement shelters in Gaza and what they describe as the forced removal of Palestinians from areas of the West Bank, according to a report cited by Al Jazeera.
A UN panel detailed specific incidents involving Israeli military forces and settlers targeting Palestinians who had already been displaced by ongoing conflict, raising concerns about the compounding humanitarian toll on civilian populations in both territories.
Attacks on shelters in Gaza
The experts' findings focused in part on strikes and incursions affecting sites where displaced Gazans had sought refuge. Such locations, which include schools and designated civilian shelters, are afforded protections under international humanitarian law. The panel indicated these protections were not being observed in the incidents it documented.
The report comes amid a prolonged military campaign in Gaza that has displaced the vast majority of the territory's population, with many Palestinians having been forced to move multiple times as military operations shifted across different areas.
West Bank displacement
In the West Bank, UN experts described a pattern of forced displacement they attributed to both Israeli military actions and settler violence. Palestinians living in vulnerable communities, particularly in more rural or isolated areas, have faced pressure to leave their homes, according to the panel's account.
Settler-related violence in the West Bank has drawn repeated international criticism over recent years. The UN panel's latest report adds to a growing body of documentation from international bodies alleging that such violence, combined with military operations, is systematically displacing Palestinian communities.
Israeli government position
Israeli authorities have consistently rejected characterizations of their military operations as unlawfully targeting civilians, arguing that military actions are directed at Hamas and other armed groups. Israel has also disputed claims that settler violence occurs with state complicity, though critics and UN bodies have repeatedly called for stronger accountability measures.
Broader context
The UN panel's report reflects mounting pressure from international human rights bodies on all parties to the conflict. Multiple UN agencies and independent experts have previously warned of a deteriorating humanitarian situation in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The findings are likely to intensify debate at the UN Security Council and among member states over potential accountability mechanisms, though past attempts to pass binding resolutions on the conflict have been blocked by vetoes from permanent council members.
Al Jazeera reported the panel's statements on April 13, 2026, drawing on the experts' detailed account of incidents across both territories.
