UN agency says 2023 ‘deadliest year on record’ for Palestinians in West Bank

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Friday that 2023 was “the deadliest year on record” for Palestinians in the West Bank, with 504 people killed in the occupied territory.

In an interview with the BBC, Juliette Touma, director of communications at the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said at least 70 children have been killed in the West Bank since the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip in Oct. 7.

Tensions have been high across the West Bank since fighting broke out in Gaza on Oct. 7 between Palestinian groups and Israel.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 314 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since Oct. 7, with over 3,300 others injured.