A United Nations Commission of Inquiry has released a report detailing the direct involvement of Israeli authorities in settler attacks against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The report, published on Tuesday, states that Israeli security forces have provided protection to settlers, enabling a surge in violence that has resulted in deaths, injuries, and displacement of Palestinians since 2023.
Findings on Israeli Involvement
The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory found that Israeli authorities facilitated settler attacks through financial and military support, operating within a climate of impunity fostered by judicial and law enforcement bodies. The report highlights a 130% increase in settler attacks on Palestinian villages and agricultural land since 2023, including incidents involving masked assailants. Israeli security forces routinely accompanied settlers and acted as a shield for the violence, the report said.
"The increasing participation of Israeli security forces in settler attacks amounts to a de facto collapse of the distinction between settlers and soldiers," the report found. It further noted that such violence has been used to advance state policy, including the unlawful occupation, displacement of Palestinians, and annexation of Palestinian territory.
Specific Incidents Documented
The commission documented cases of assaults, abductions, and abuse of Palestinian children by settlers. In one incident on April 19, 2025, a 12-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother were abducted at knifepoint, dragged to an olive grove, and tied to a tree with plastic restraints until their family intervened. The report also stated that settlers committed or threatened sexual violence to instill fear and harassed Palestinian women.
"The relentless, daily assaults by Israeli settlers against Palestinians are intolerable - and must end," said the commission's head, S Muralidhar, an Indian former senior judge. He urged the international community to press Israel to dismantle settlements and outposts and curb the violence.
Hamas Violations Documented
The report also expressed grave alarm over serious abuses documented in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The commission found that Hamas-affiliated forces were involved in at least 60 of 249 documented cases of executions and severe physical violence in 2024 to 2025. These included beatings with metal pipes and bone-breaking as punishment for alleged collaboration with Israel or looting aid. Eleven men were publicly executed for alleged collaboration in September and October 2025.
The Commission stated that these acts amount to war crimes and violations of international law. It also found that the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas and other armed groups, which killed 1,200 people and involved hostage-taking and destruction of property, constituted war crimes. Those attacks precipitated an Israeli assault on Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and destroyed much of the territory.
