World News | While World Watches Gaza, Here is What's Happening in West Bank

Deir Al-Balah, Apr 25 (AP) After the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, ignited the devastating war in Gaza, a deadly new reality also took hold for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

With the world's attention focused on Gaza, Israeli military operations in the West Bank grew in size, frequency and intensity. The army launched the stepped-up campaign to counter what it says is a growing militant threat.

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Here's a look at where things stand, with data collected by the UN's humanitarian office and Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement tracking group.

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Palestinian deaths by Israeli fire have surged

Since the war in Gaza erupted, the majority of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank have been shot during military raids in villages and towns.

Israel says the operations are needed to stamp out militancy. Many of the dead were militants killed in clashes, or youths throwing stones or firebombs.

But Palestinians and rights groups say scores of uninvolved civilians have been caught in the crossfire. Of those killed since the Hamas attack, at least 182 have been children under 18, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, some of whom Israel says were involved in stone-throwing and militancy. Rights groups accuse Israel of using excessive force.

Israeli offensives evicted 40,000 from refugee camps

Israel is staging a massive offensive across four major refugee camps in the north of the West Bank. The raids, at their height, pushed 40,000 people from their homes. Many are now sheltering with relatives in neighbouring villages, others racking up debt renting apartments while they wait to return.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said those displaced will not be allowed to go back for at least a year.

Forces have ripped up roads, destroyed infrastructure and demolished hundreds of homes. Israel says it is dismantling terrorist infrastructure. But civilian homes have also been destroyed.

In another escalation, the military has resumed previously rare tactics, like drone strikes, in these densely populated areas.

Settler attacks on Palestinians occur almost daily

Settler attacks causing injury or death to Palestinians surged in the wake of the Hamas attack. For Palestinians living in small Bedouin villages in areas under full Israeli control, the attacks have become a near-daily occurrence as settlers — emboldened by Israel's pro-settler government — build new unauthorised outposts on nearby hilltops.

Israel says it opposes settler violence and blames it all on a small, extremist fringe. Palestinians say that the Israeli army does little to protect them, and that the attacks are part of a systematic attempt to expel them from their land.

Israeli outposts spring up across territory

Settlers have established about 80 new outposts since the war began. Rights groups say the outposts, often populated by extremist activists, are the main drivers of violence against Palestinians.

The tiny unauthorised land grabs are tolerated and even encouraged by Israel, which over the years has converted many outposts into authorised settlements as it cements its hold on the territory and moves to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Israel's government, dominated by settler leaders and supporters, has established 13 new settlements since the war began, at least five of which originally sprung up as outposts. That brings the total number of settlements to 140.

Most of the international community considers settlements illegal, though US President Donald Trump has supported them.

Checkpoints choke Palestinian movement

Meanwhile, movement between Palestinian towns and cities has only grown more difficult. New checkpoints have further divided the territory and created choke points the Israeli army can shut off on a whim.

Crossings that had been open 24/7 started closing during morning and evening rush hours, disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and turning once-routine commutes into hours-long journeys.

As the war in Gaza continues and the West Bank seethes, Palestinians say life is only growing more difficult. (AP)

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