SAFA — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday called for immediate action to protect Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank from attacks by Israeli settlers, warning that escalating settler violence, movement restrictions and settlement expansion are making daily life increasingly “unbearable” for Palestinians.

In a statement, the ICRC said dozens of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured so far this year, while many others have been displaced.

Homes and property have also been damaged or destroyed, leaving families without shelter or sources of income.

“Repeated and severe acts of violence must stop,” said Julien Lerisson, head of the ICRC delegation in Israel and the occupied territories.

Lerisson stressed that Israeli authorities, as the occupying power, have a responsibility to protect the Palestinian population from violence, including attacks by Israeli settlers, and to respect international humanitarian law, safeguard public and private property and ensure access to essential services.

“The humanitarian impact of the violence, including the tragic loss of life and severe injuries, is immense and devastating,” he said.

Movement Restrictions Disrupt Health Care, Schools and Livelihoods

The ICRC said heightened movement restrictions across the occupied West Bank are having a severe impact on daily life, preventing patients from reaching medical care, keeping children from attending school and cutting Palestinians off from their homes and livelihoods.

Lerisson said Palestinian families and entire communities are being pushed into increasingly harsh living conditions “until they become unbearable.”

Ambulances, he added, are sometimes held up for hours at checkpoints or forced to take longer routes to avoid road closures and violent incidents, delaying first responders from reaching people in need.

Obligations of an Occupying Power

Lerisson stressed that under the law of occupation, Israel, as the occupying power, is obligated to treat protected persons humanely at all times and protect them from acts or threats of violence.

“It must also do its utmost to restore and maintain public order and civil life,” he said.

Upholding international humanitarian law and complying with the legal framework governing occupation are “necessary steps” toward restoring the safety and dignity of the Palestinian population, he added.

“That means protecting civilians from violence and halting the expansion of civilian settlements,” Lerisson said.

The ICRC’s appeal comes amid a sharp rise in Israeli settler attacks, tighter restrictions on Palestinian movement and continued settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian officials and human rights organizations.

Smotrich Calls for Gaza-Style War in West Bank

The ICRC warning comes as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for a broad military campaign in the occupied West Bank modeled on Israel’s operations in the Gaza Strip, while demanding the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority.

In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth published Sunday, Smotrich said Israel needed to “go to war in Judea and Samaria” — Israel’s term for the occupied West Bank — and “do there what we did in Gaza.”

He also called for the dismantling of the Palestinian Authority, which he called a “terrorist authority.”

Asked what he meant by going to war in the West Bank, Smotrich pointed to previous Israeli military operations in the territory.

He said three refugee camps had been emptied after their residents were evacuated, claiming the measures were carried out “to protect them” and to eliminate what he called terrorism.

His remarks come amid a documented rise in attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians across the occupied West Bank.

The United Nations documented 51 settler attacks between September 15 and 21 that resulted in Palestinian injuries or damage to property, including agricultural land, crops, trees and irrigation networks.

At least 800 olive trees, fruit trees and palm trees were damaged, uprooted or burned across five West Bank governorates during the same period, according to the UN.