The occupied Palestinian territory has witnessed a concerning escalation in Palestinian casualties, property damage, and displacement due to the actions of zionist forces, according to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The report highlights a grim trend in Palestinian fatalities, injuries, and destruction.

Between July 25 and August 7, the zionist army's actions in the occupied West Bank resulted in the tragic deaths of 13 Palestinians, including three children. This alarming statistic has brought the total Palestinian casualties in the West Bank and Israel to 167 so far this year.

Shockingly, this number surpasses the total fatalities recorded in all of 2022, which stood at 155. This surge in deaths has set a disturbing record, representing the highest toll in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2005.

The report further sheds light on a settler-related incident on August 4 in Burqa village, near Ramallah, where an israeli settler shot and killed a Palestinian man and injured two others. This event adds to the escalating toll of Palestinians killed by settlers in 2023, reaching a count of seven by August 7.

Zionist forces' actions have also left 276 Palestinians injured, including 60 children, between July 25 and August 7, with nine individuals wounded by live ammunition. This year, a staggering total of 683 Palestinians have suffered injuries from live ammunition, more than double the number recorded in the same period of 2022.

Zionist settlers have been equally culpable in causing Palestinian injuries and property damage. Over the same timeframe, six Palestinians, including a child, sustained injuries due to settler activities, accompanied by damage to Palestinian property in 14 separate instances across the West Bank.

The unsettling rise in settler-related incidents prompted the UN to document 591 such incidents causing Palestinian casualties or property damage in the first six months of 2023. This marks a 39 percent increase compared to 2022, which previously held the highest number of recorded settler-related incidents since 2006.

Compounding the crisis, zionist occupation authorities have demolished, confiscated, or compelled the demolition of 56 structures in East Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank. Among these demolitions were six homes, affecting 23 Palestinians, including 12 children. More than 3,500 others faced significant disruptions to their livelihoods. Of note, 53 of these actions occurred in Area C, while the remaining three transpired in East Jerusalem. In an attempt to evade fines, the owners of the three demolished structures in East Jerusalem destroyed their properties themselves.

This wave of destruction includes the infrastructure of a public park in the al Mughayyir community, severely impacting the lives of Palestinians and exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in the region. (ILKHA)