A UN report on the plight of Palestinians has found that civilians are being systematically and deliberately subjected to severe violations of human rights law and are being pushed away with state support by Israeli settlers, while, in a situation engineered by Israel, they are often trapped between the brutal and state-supported torture inflicted by Israeli forces and settlers on one side and Hamas on the other.
The report, prepared by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, contends that the Israeli government bears primary responsibility for the conduct of settlers in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, whereas Hamas-affiliated forces are accountable for abuses committed by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
According to the Commission, the escalation of settler aggression is neither incidental nor spontaneous but rather the consequence of policies that sustain, enable and shield such actions, while Hamas-affiliated groups have exploited the vacuum created by relentless Israeli military assaults.
Srinivasan Muralidhar, who chairs the Commission, observed that although the motivations of the actors differ, the deliberate infliction of suffering upon Palestinian civilians remains a disturbing common denominator operating within conditions engineered by Israel.
The report records an increase in settler attacks, noting that at least seven Palestinians were killed and 832 injured during 2025, representing a 130 per cent rise over the previous year, while assaults have reportedly continued on an almost daily basis in 2026.
It further concludes that Israeli authorities have directly facilitated attacks through financial and military support, whereas judicial and law enforcement institutions have long fostered a climate of impunity.
The Commission also documents assaults, abductions and abuse perpetrated against Palestinian children engaged in ordinary activities such as attending school, playing or tending livestock, arguing that such deliberate targeting inflicts immediate physical and psychological trauma while disrupting education and freedom of movement.
It also found that settlers committed or threatened acts of sexual violence intended to instil fear and humiliation, with Palestinian women and girls facing intimidation that severely curtails their participation in public life.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has accused Israel of pursuing a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” in the occupied West Bank with the intention of annexing Palestinian territory, asserting in a 149-page report that the forced displacement of Palestinians reflects a concerted state policy rather than merely the actions of violent settlers.
In Gaza, the Commission identified 249 incidents involving executions and severe physical violence during 2024-25, resulting in at least 108 deaths and 384 injuries, and found Hamas-affiliated forces responsible for at least 60 such incidents, including two public executions of 11 men, acts that it said may amount to the war crimes of murder and torture.