RAMALLAH, October 5, 2025 (WAFA) – The Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission announced Sunday that it has documented a total of 38,359 violations committed by the Israeli occupation army and settlers against Palestinian citizens and their property in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023.
According to the report, the Israeli army was responsible for 31,205 of these incidents, while settlers carried out 7,154 attacks, which led to the killing of 33 Palestinians. These included 14 in Nablus Governorate, 12 in Ramallah and al-Bireh, 3 in Hebron, and one each in Bethlehem, Qalqilia, and Salfit.
The report also revealed that settlers established 114 new settlement outposts during the same period – an unprecedented number – which triggered the forced displacement of 33 Palestinian Bedouin communities. These communities comprised 455 families and a total of 2,853 individuals who were forced to leave their homes.
55,000 dunums seized, 25 buffer zones established
Israel seized approximately 55,000 dunums of Palestinian land since October 2023, including 20,000 dunums under the pretext of adjusting natural reserve boundaries, and 26,000 dunums declared as “state land” in Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Qalqilia. An additional 1,756 dunums were confiscated via 108 military orders for the construction of security roads, military towers, and buffer zones around settlements.
The occupation also intensified efforts to fragment Palestinian land through road expansion and bypass roads meant exclusively for settlers, facilitating the connection of settlement blocs while isolating Palestinian communities.
A total of 25 buffer zones have been created around settlements, mainly in the northern West Bank: 5 in Nablus, 4 in Salfit, 2 in Qalqilia, and 1 each in Tulkarm and Tubas. Additionally, 5 zones were imposed in both Ramallah and Bethlehem, and 1 in Hebron.
355 settlement plans and legalization of 11 outposts
The planning authorities of the Israeli government reviewed 355 structural plans for the construction of 37,415 new settlement units, covering 38,551 dunums of land. Of these, 18,801 units have already been approved, while 18,614 are still pending.
Jerusalem saw the highest concentration of plans, with 148 (44 outside the municipal boundaries and 104 within settlements inside the city), followed by Bethlehem (51), Salfit (48), Ramallah (38), Qalqilia (20), and Nablus (19).
Israel also approved the separation of 13 settlement neighborhoods to classify them as independent settlements, and decided to establish 22 new settlements. Moreover, it legalized 11 existing outposts through government decisions, adding them to a list of 68 agricultural outposts that have received infrastructure support to solidify their presence on Palestinian land.
767 fires, 48,728 trees damaged, 33 communities displaced
Since October 2023, the Israeli military and settlers have caused 767 fires, including 221 that affected civilian property and 546 that burned agricultural fields. The fires were concentrated in Ramallah and al-Bireh (244), Nablus (214), Hebron (51), and Tulkarm (46).
The campaign of settler terrorism and army-backed displacement resulted in the uprooting of 33 Bedouin communities, composed of 455 families and 2,853 individuals. Among the latest displacements were communities in Deir Alla, Ein Ayoub, Al-Mlihhat, and Maghayir Al-Deir, whose lands were taken over by settlers.
The total number of Israeli checkpoints and barriers – including permanent, temporary, and iron gates – reached 916, with more than 243 new gates installed since October 7, 2023.
Over 1,000 demolitions, 1,667 demolition orders issued
The occupation authorities carried out 1,014 demolition operations, destroying 3,679 Palestinian structures. These included 1,288 inhabited homes, 244 uninhabited homes, and 962 agricultural or commercial facilities.
The majority of demolitions occurred in Jerusalem (880), followed by Hebron (529) and Tulkarm (464).
Meanwhile, 1,667 demolition orders were issued, mostly targeting structures in Hebron, Ramallah and al-Bireh, Bethlehem, Jericho, Jerusalem, Nablus, and Qalqilia. Among these was a troubling case involving 22 administrative demolition orders delivered to residents of Al-Malha village in eastern Bethlehem’s wilderness – a natural reserve area under the planning jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.
Commission: West Bank turned into testing ground for colonial policies
In a press conference, Minister Muayyad Shaaban, head of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, said that the occupied Palestinian territories have become a laboratory for unprecedented colonial policies over the past two years.
He emphasized that Israel, the last colonial regime in the world, is testing new methods of killing, control, and geographic manipulation, supported by racist legislation that arms settlers while stripping Palestinians of basic human rights, including the right to housing, movement, and dignity.
Shaaban stressed that confronting this escalating colonial assault is a national responsibility that requires collective action from official institutions, civil society, political factions, youth movements, and grassroots organizations.
He concluded by saying that popular unity and collective will remain the first line of defense against displacement and annexation, and are essential to defeating Israel’s expansionist policies and ensuring the preservation of Palestinian land, identity, and historical rights.
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