Attacks and violations against Palestinians across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) are escalating. The Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) warns that they endanger civilian lives and strike at the foundations of Palestinians' resilience and their ability to remain on their land. They persist without any effective international action to protect civilians, secure accountability or bring the attacks to an end, even though they clearly contravene international humanitarian law and human rights law.

The figures are stark. Since the beginning of 2026, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has documented more than 2,060 settler attacks causing Palestinian casualties, property damage or both, across some 300 communities: an average of seven a day, up from five a day in 2025. In just two weeks, from 29 September to 12 October, five Palestinians were killed and 246 injured by Israeli forces or settlers, with 74 per cent of those injuries occurring in settler attacks. Nearly 200 settler attacks have targeted the olive harvest since September, threatening a season on which an estimated 80,000–100,000 Palestinian families depend. Since January 2023, settler violence and related restrictions have fully displaced 49 Palestinian communities, 13 of them this year.

PNGO stresses that the ongoing targeting of Palestinian civilians, their property and their livelihoods demands urgent international action that goes beyond condemnation and expressions of concern. Concrete measures are needed to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and uphold their fundamental rights. Foremost among these are the rights to life, security, freedom and dignity on their own land.

PNGO also expresses grave concern over threats and attacks against people and organisations present in the oPt: international solidarity activists, delegations (including diplomatic missions), journalists, and human rights and humanitarian organisations. These attacks have obstructed their work and in some cases prevented it entirely. During this year's olive harvest alone, Israeli soldiers forced international volunteers out of groves in Beita at gunpoint, and on 16 October settlers beat a foreign journalist in Abu Falah. Endangering or intimidating people because they stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people is unacceptable. Their safety must be guaranteed, the relevant rules of international law must be respected, and they must be able to carry out their work freely and safely.

Taken together, the continued violations against Palestinians and the growing risks facing international delegations show the urgent need for serious international action. That action must protect civilians, safeguard diplomatic missions, strengthen accountability and end impunity, in line with states' obligations under international law.

In fulfilment of its national and human rights responsibilities, PNGO calls for:

• An urgent meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to address and end Israel's ongoing violations against the Palestinian people.
• Urgent action by the United Nations and the international community to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and halt attacks on civilians throughout the oPt.
• Guarantees for the safety of international solidarity activists, delegations, and human rights and humanitarian organisations. This includes a clear rejection of any attempt to target, intimidate or obstruct them because of their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
• The activation of independent international mechanisms to monitor and document violations. This should come with a stronger international presence in areas exposed to attacks, to help protect civilians and deter further violations.
• Accountability for these violations, including the prosecution of those responsible under international law, so that no perpetrator evades justice.
• Practical, immediate measures by states and international institutions to enforce international law and to protect Palestinian civilians, their rights and their dignity.

Protecting the Palestinian people is a legal and moral responsibility of the international community, and it can no longer be delayed. It requires clear positions and tangible action that turn legal and humanitarian obligations into concrete measures on the ground. Those measures must protect Palestinian civilians and diplomatic personnel, hold those responsible to account, and prevent these violations from happening again.