Demographics in the West Bank and Gaza: UN Warning over Israeli Plans

27th February 2026

2 minutes read

Demographics in the West Bank and Gaza: UN Warning over Israeli Plans

The United Nations has accused Israel of seeking to bring about a “permanent demographic change” in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

On Thursday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that Israeli measures in the West Bank and Gaza, including military operations leading to displacement, are aimed at creating a “permanent demographic change.”

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk said, “Taken together, Israeli measures appear to aim at bringing about a permanent demographic change in Gaza and the West Bank, raising concerns about possible ethnic cleansing.”

He specifically referred to the Israeli military operation ongoing for a year in the northern West Bank, which has resulted in the displacement of 32,000 Palestinians.

He added that “Israeli security forces continue to use unnecessary and disproportionate force” in the West Bank.

Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.

The High Commissioner indicated that 1,020 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since that date “by Israeli security forces,” according to figures verified by his office.

During the same period, 45 Israelis, including soldiers, were killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians, according to official Israeli data.

Since the beginning of this February, Israel has announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening its control over the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967, notably by facilitating land purchases by Israeli citizens.

These measures have drawn widespread international condemnation, and a senior UN official described them as “gradual de facto annexation.”

Türk also stated that since the ceasefire in Gaza took effect on October 10, 2025, “Israeli attacks have killed more than 600 Palestinians and injured over 1,600 others, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health” in the enclave.

He added, “Anywhere else, this would be considered a major crisis.”

Nearly all of Gaza’s more than two million residents have been displaced at least once since the start of the war, which has reduced large parts of the territory to ruins.

In a report published last week, the High Commissioner wrote that “the intensification of attacks, the systematic destruction of entire neighborhoods, the denial of humanitarian aid, as well as forced transfers that appear aimed at permanent displacement, raise concerns of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank.”