Deadly Toll and Government Backing of Attacks: Union for Justice Foundation Calls for Urgent International Protection for the Palestinian People
25/07/2026 – Union for Justice Foundation
The Union for Justice Foundation stated in a statement issued today that the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem are witnessing a dangerous and unprecedented escalation in shootings and direct attacks against Palestinian civilians. Within less than 24 hours alone, the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem bid farewell to eight martyrs, marking a heavy toll that reflects the deteriorating reality on the ground and the continuation of attacks carried out under the direct protection and supervision of the Israeli occupation forces.
The Foundation explained, based on field documentation data and official reports issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, that the total number of martyrs who have been killed by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of the current year has risen to 87. According to the Ministry of Health, this figure includes 21 martyrs who were killed by settler gunfire, 65 martyrs who were killed by Israeli occupation forces, in addition to one martyr in occupied Jerusalem. The eight most recent martyrs were recorded across several areas. In the town of Tal, southwest of Nablus, four members of the same family were killed after local residents confronted an attack launched by settlers under military protection. They are Farouq Adnan Ali Ramadan, Ibrahim Hussein Ali Ramadan, Jawad Hussein Ali Ramadan, and Imran Ahmad Ali Ramadan. In the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, the boy Mohammad Samer Militat (16) and the young man Mahmoud Hussein Abu Samra (20) were killed by Israeli occupation forces. In Jerusalem Governorate, Khalil Rashad Hamed Al-Rashq (47) was killed after succumbing to injuries sustained from Israeli occupation gunfire at the Shu’fat Refugee Camp checkpoint, while Yazan Fakhri Sawafta (25), from the city of Tubas, was killed by Israeli occupation forces near Haddad Roundabout, east of the city of Jenin.
The Foundation confirmed that following the martyrdom of these eight Palestinians, numerous Palestinian villages and towns, particularly in the northern West Bank adjacent to Israeli settlements, were subjected to large-scale and violent attacks carried out by settlers in significant numbers. These attacks included the burning of property, the vandalism of homes and vehicles, and direct assaults against civilians. The Foundation further explained that these attacks were neither isolated nor spontaneous acts, but were carried out following explicit statements and calls issued by leaders of the Israeli government, most notably Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Bezalel Smotrich, who called for mass mobilization and gave settlers the green light, along with political and security backing, to attack nearby Palestinian villages and communities. These official directives constitute direct incitement and official government backing of organized violence against unarmed civilians.
The Union for Justice Foundation affirmed that the armed attacks carried out against Palestinian towns and villages under official government protection constitute a grave breach of international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, the occupying power is obligated to protect the civilian population under its control. Inciting attacks against civilians, opening fire on them, or encouraging non-state actors to assault them constitutes a flagrant violation of Article 147, which criminalizes wilful killing, destruction of property, and attacks against the physical integrity of protected persons. Furthermore, providing political and military protection for these attacks establishes the direct individual international criminal responsibility of Israeli political and military leaders. Such acts constitute war crimes falling within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court under the Rome Statute. In addition, the Foundation noted that the comprehensive siege and closure measures imposed on Palestinian cities and towns, including the closure of the city of Nablus and the town of Tal, constitute forms of collective punishment expressly prohibited under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The Foundation stressed that international silence and the absence of effective accountability measures are the primary reasons why Israeli leaders continue to give the green light to these attacks and expand their scope. Accordingly, the Union for Justice Foundation calls upon the United Nations Security Council and the United Nations to take urgent action to provide direct international protection for the Palestinian people in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem in order to halt settler violence and curb government-backed attacks.
The Foundation also calls upon the International Criminal Court to expand and expedite its ongoing investigations to include officials and ministers who issue inciting statements and calls for settler mobilization, and to bring them before international justice. It further urges the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions to fulfil their obligations under Common Article 1 by exerting pressure on the occupation authorities and compelling them to end collective punishment and settler attacks. The Foundation reaffirms its commitment to continuing the field and legal documentation of all violations and submitting them to the competent international bodies to ensure that perpetrators and those responsible for incitement do not enjoy impunity and that justice is achieved for the victims.
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