UN Condemns Violent Seizure of Eight Palestinian Homes in Jericho

The United Nations reports that settlers used live ammunition and assaulted residents, forcing families to flee their homes for safety.

Published On 6 Nov 20266 Nov 2026

The United Nations has strongly condemned the violent seizure of eight Palestinian residential properties by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank city of Jericho. Officials report that settlers assaulted local residents, forcing dozens of individuals to flee their homes in fear.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, briefed reporters on Thursday, stating that the settlers reportedly used live ammunition during the takeover the preceding day.

In addition to throwing stones, the settlers physically assaulted Palestinian residents, directly prompting families to flee the area to ensure their safety.

Many of the displaced families currently lack adequate shelter. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has declared the area a closed military zone, blocking humanitarian aid workers from reaching those affected.

“We once again condemn all of these violent activities by the Israeli settlers,” Dujarric emphasized.

According to the Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, the incident involved approximately 30 Israeli settlers who arrived on Wednesday afternoon to seize properties in Ein a-Duyuk a-Tahta, on the outskirts of Jericho.

Peace Now reported that during the seizure, the settlers assaulted and robbed two Israeli activists and shot a Palestinian man in the leg.

While the settlers claimed to have legally purchased the homes, Palestinian officials assert that the property sale documents were forged.

Hanan Greenwood, a settler representative, told the AFP news agency that the right-wing Israeli organization Nachala purchased the eight homes with their assistance, expressing considerable excitement about the takeover.

Nachala funds the establishment of new settlements in the occupied West Bank and actively campaigns for Israel to annex the territory.

However, Hussein Hamayel, governor of the Jericho region, stated to the AFP that the land belongs to the Palestinian Authority and cannot be legally sold.

“What is being promoted is a forgery, not a legitimate sale, and what is being circulated is settler propaganda,” Hamayel asserted.

The land in question is situated in Area C of the West Bank, which has been under Israeli military administration since the Oslo Accords of the 1990s. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and the more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements there are considered illegal under international law.

Settler violence and pogroms in the occupied West Bank have reached historic highs this year, with several Palestinian communities in the greater Jericho area already displaced from their homes.

Local residents expressed deep concern that the new settler presence will lead to escalated pogroms and a heavier military footprint in the area.

This pattern of displacement and friction has previously unfolded in Hebron, where approximately 400 settlers reside in the Old City alongside a population of 250,000 Palestinians.

According to Peace Now, the Israeli presence in Hebron has notably resulted in constant friction and violence, severe restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, and the displacement of thousands of Palestinians.

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