Israeli Settler Attacks Hit Palestinians as Gaza Faces Floods

Families return to their destroyed homes in Gaza City.

Images emerged this week showing what appear to be mobs of masked Israeli settlers carrying out arson attacks on Palestinian homes and property, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday.

OHCHR condemned the attacks as abhorrent, noting they reflect a wider pattern of escalating violence against Palestinians.

Several people were reportedly injured during the attacks, which included a raid on a dairy factory, while delivery trucks and homes were set ablaze.

The surge in violence coincides with Israeli authorities ramping up home demolitions, property seizures, and the forcible displacement and transfer of thousands of Palestinians by settlers and the military, OHCHR added in a briefing for journalists at the UN in Geneva.

Officials reiterated that Israel’s assertion of sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and its annexation of parts of it breach international law, as confirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Floods in Gaza

Meanwhile, in Gaza, hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters were flooded due to heavy rain on Friday.

“We fear that thousands of displaced families will be left fully exposed to these harsh weather conditions,” said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at a later briefing in New York, citing wider health and protection concerns.

UN partners are providing shelter support via rapid response teams. Around 1,000 tents were distributed to families in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis on Thursday. Between Sunday and Wednesday, partners provided about 7,000 blankets to over 1,800 households, along with roughly 15,000 tarpaulins to more than 3,700 households, plus winter clothing.

Aid partners emphasised that effective flood prevention requires equipment not available in Gaza, including tools to drain water away from tents and to clear solid waste and rubble.

Aid items ‘stuck in Jordan’

“Millions of urgently needed shelter items remain stuck in Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, awaiting approvals to enter Gaza,” Mr Dujarric said.

“Dire living conditions are increasing people’s exposure to explosive ordnance, with children among the most at risk. Some have been injured collecting firewood; others are forced to pitch tents near areas suspected to contain unexploded remnants simply because they have no safer options.”

He underscored the urgent need for the full and sustained opening of existing and additional crossings, clearance of essential aid, and access for all UN and partner aid items.