Toronto, 20 July 2026 – More than 1,000 Palestinian children have been displaced by a surge in settler violence in the West Bank in the first six months of 2026, causing extreme disruptions to children’s schooling, safety and sense of wellbeing, said Save the Children.
The number displaced is half the total number of children forced by settler violence from their homes over the entire previous three-year period, with about 2,000 children forcibly displaced between January 2023 and December 2025 [1].
Palestinian children and families have told Save the Children that they are living under constant fear of attacks by the state-backed settlers, who have burned homes, vehicles, and agricultural land, attacked schools, destroyed or stolen livestock, and committed violent assaults and intimidation at gunpoint.
The rate of settler attacks rose by 45% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, according to the UN, with over 1,020 incidents recorded since January, up from 757 attacks during the first six months of 2025.
According to the UN, Israeli authorities and forces have been directly involved in the settler attacks that have killed, injured and displaced Palestinians, with the latest UN Commission of Inquiry (COI) concluding that settler violence is being driven by the state and enabled by longstanding impunity.
There has also been a surge in injuries caused by state-backed settlers in 2026, with UN data revealing that some 569 Palestinians have been injured by settlers since the start of the year, compared to 832 in 2025, 362 in 2024 and 376 in 2023. A child was reported to have been killed by a settler – the 14-year-old boy was shot dead near a school north-east of Ramallah.
Along with physical violence and threats of violence, recent data from the West Bank Protection Consortium showed that 70% of displaced households identified threats to women and children, particularly sexualised violence, as the decisive reason for leaving.
Schools have also been targeted, with 13 attacks by settlers on schools in the West Bank since the start of the year impacting 700 students, according to Save the Children’s analysis of the Education Cluster data.[2]
Danny Glenwright, President and CEO of Save the Children, said:
“The surge in Israeli settlers’ attacks is not a surprise. What is shocking is the continued silence of the international community. Palestinian children are constantly living in fear and terror from Israeli forces and the settlers. Unprotected with no means of keeping them safe. This cycle of violence must be stopped.
“The international community, including the Canadian government, must pressure the Israeli authorities to stop enabling and driving this violence, end state-sanctioned violence and attacks by settlers and ensure that perpetrators are held to account, along with the provision of full reparations to affected people.
“The Canadian government should ban all trade, financial assistance, and the provision of any services that maintain or support illegal Israeli settlements and their continued government-approved illegal proliferation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Canada’s actions in response do not currently match its values or its legal obligations. Children should never pay the price of war. When we maintain regular diplomatic and trade relations with governments that actively target children, and when Canadian-made weapons or military assistance continue to reach countries or groups that harm children, we are contributing to the very violations we condemn. Canada must draw a clearer line: no weapons transfers, no military support, no economic cooperation, including indirectly, for those who harm children. Protecting children must come first.”
Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. Save the Children works with partners to support children affected by violence from Israeli forces and settlers, helping to deliver essential items and creating safe spaces for children.
Across the West Bank, directly and through partners, we support the mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and caregivers. We ensure children have access to safe and inclusive education.
ENDS
[1] According to UN OCHA, since January 2023, 6,200 Palestinians, including more than 3,000 children, have been displaced due to settler attacks and related access restrictions across 119 communities. These include more than 3,600 people displaced from 46 communities that have been fully vacated by their residents. Of the total, more than 2,200 people, including more than 1,060 children, have been displaced in 2026 alone. https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-report-19-june-2026#casualties-settler-violence-and-displacement
[2] Data retrieved from the Education Related Incidents online database
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