Shibbir Ahmed, New York — The United Nations has expressed deep concern over escalating violence in the occupied West Bank after Israel imposed sweeping movement restrictions following a deadly attack on Israeli soldiers near Hebron. According to news reports cited in the UN briefing, two Israeli soldiers were killed and at least five others injured when gunmen opened fire near a military checkpoint outside Hebron. The two Palestinian attackers were also killed.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Hebron sealed off and pledged house-to-house raids and home demolitions. Reports also indicated that he threatened a broader military assault. The latest restrictions mark the fourth time in a month that Israel has imposed movement restrictions across the occupied territory.
Speaking at the UN’s daily noon briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply concerned about the closures, reports of home demolitions and the potential displacement of Palestinians in Hebron.
“Those closures severely restrict Palestinians’ freedom of movement, access to basic services and livelihoods,” Dujarric said.
Guterres also condemned what he described as record numbers of attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in 2026. He stressed Israel’s obligation, as the occupying power, to protect the Palestinian population from such attacks and hold those responsible accountable. Mayy El Sheikh, spokesperson for the UN human rights office (OHCHR) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, described the lockdown as another episode in a continuing series of restrictive measures making life increasingly unbearable for Palestinians.
She said the closures followed a pattern of collective punishment imposed after Palestinians carry out acts of violence against Israeli settlers or soldiers. Similar incidents, she noted, have previously been followed by lockdowns, intensified raids and arbitrary detentions. Following Friday’s attack, authorities closed the entrances and exits to Hebron and shut the Ibrahimi Mosque, preventing worshippers from attending Friday prayers, according to OHCHR.
The closures come during the olive harvest, a crucial period for Palestinian farmers and agricultural livelihoods. El Sheikh said Israeli movement restrictions were already preventing thousands of Palestinian farmers from reaching their olive groves, warning that the restrictions could have devastating consequences for the harvest season. OHCHR documented more than 160 settler attacks during the first two weeks of October alone. The reported incidents included the use of live ammunition, arson, crop theft and damage to olive groves.
The UN human rights office also reported that settlers had targeted European Union diplomats. Separately, a Washington Post photojournalist was reportedly badly assaulted by masked settlers a week earlier while covering the olive harvest near Ramallah.
The UN Secretary-General also remained deeply concerned about civilian deaths in Gaza, including the deaths of children, and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid ahead of winter. Guterres called on all parties to immediately end violence, exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further escalate tensions.
The UN’s latest warnings highlight growing concerns over the humanitarian consequences of movement restrictions, settler violence and continuing insecurity across the occupied Palestinian territory.
