UN Commission Blames Iron Wall Campaign for 254 West Bank Airstrike Deaths

A United Nations commission released a report Monday detailing a sharp rise in Palestinian deaths in the West Bank since late 2023.

The panel recorded 254 Palestinian deaths caused by Israeli airstrikes between October 7, 2023, and September 30, 2026. In the preceding fifteen years, from 2008 to October 6, 2023, the commission counted only six such deaths. The report noted that Palestinian deaths in the West Bank have averaged nearly 500 annually since 2022, the highest figures since the UN began collecting this data in 2005.

The commission linked the surge in fatalities to Operation Iron Wall, which began in January 2025. It stated that airstrikes became more frequent in refugee camps and areas around Jenin, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Nablus following that operation. The panel described the military campaign as a shift toward the widespread destruction of Palestinian housing and infrastructure.

Srinivasan Muralidhar, the chair of the Commission of Inquiry, said the killing of civilians and destruction of homes formed part of a strategy to exterminate and displace Palestinians. The report accused Israel of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also cited statements by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and IDF Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth when assessing military intent.

The panel verified four new cases of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees since a March 2025 report. One case involved a male detainee at Megiddo Prison in 2025 who was allegedly blindfolded, stripped, and raped with objects during interrogation. The commission said these incidents were not isolated and that Israeli authorities had committed crimes against humanity involving torture and sexual violence.

The report also criticized the Palestinian Authority for suppressing political dissent. It cited arbitrary arrests, detention, and torture of journalists and activists. The commission referenced the October 2023 deaths of four Palestinians in Ramallah, Tubas, and Jenin during protests. It also examined the December 2024 killing of a journalism student in Jenin refugee camp, noting that key witnesses had not been asked to testify.

Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry called the report a propaganda document detached from reality on Monday. The ministry stated the report aimed to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense and delegitimize the Jewish state.