Attachments
CRISIS IMPACT OVERVIEW
• Since 26 February 2023, there has been an increase in violence against Palestinian citizens in Huwara, a Palestinian town located in Nablus governorate, northern West Bank (TOI 08/03/2023). On 26 February, more than 400 Israeli settlers stormed Huwara and three surrounding villages, vandalising and torching 75 houses and more than 100 cars of Palestinian residents in what has been described as a ‘pogrom’ by an Israeli commander overseeing the West Bank (The Guardian 07/03/2023; AA 27/02/2023; CBS 06/03/2023; TOI 28/02/2023). The attacks came after a Palestinian killed two Israeli settlers in a nearby settlement earlier in the day, which itself was seen as a form of retaliation for an Israeli military raid in Nablus on 22 February that killed 11 Palestinians (TOI 06/03/2023; AA 27/02/2023; Al Jazeera 22/02/2023; TWP 28/02/2023).
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As at 27 February, more than 300 attacks by Israeli settlers had been recorded in the rampage in Huwara, including shootings and arson, injuring over 390 Palestinians and killing one (Al Jazeera 27/02/2023). Most of the injuries resulted from tear gas fired by the Israeli army (AA 27/02/2023). There are also reports of Palestinians being attacked with metal sticks and rocks. The attackers have also burnt shops, supermarkets, and other property, disrupting the livelihoods of the residents of Huwara (Al Jazeera 27/02/2023). Following the event, Israeli forces have extensively militarised the town (TOI 06/03/2023).
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Since the beginning of 2023, there have been heightened tensions and increased instances of violence, demolitions, and military raids in the West Bank. Some have connected this increase in violence with the new Government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who came into power on 29 December 2022 (TWP 28/02/2023; NYT 28/01/2023; CBS 06/03/2023). Between January and 13 March, the Israeli authorities demolished more than 270 structures in the region, affecting more than 10,000 people and displacing more than 400 (OCHA accessed 15/03/2023).
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OCHA categorises the humanitarian situation for one quarter of the households in the West Bank as either ‘catastrophic’, ‘extreme’, or ‘severe’. As at 25 January, 31% of households in the West Bank reported challenges in meeting basic needs, such as food and healthcare (OCHA 25/01/2023).