Israel confirms plans to establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank
29 May 2025, 07:50
Israel has confirmed it will establish 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
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The settlements, which are illegal under international law, will include outposts already built without the permission of the Israeli government.
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank began in 1967 and has been declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.
Around 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has seen the building of settlements accelerated, with attacks on Palestinian civilians commonplace and on the rise since the launch of Israel’s assault on Gaza.
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It comes as four Palestinians died after hundreds stormed a United Nations warehouse in Gaza in a desperate search for food supplies.
Two people were crushed while two others died from gunshot wounds, health officials said.
It came as crowds descended on a World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza earlier on Wednesday.
Women and children also sustained injuries from gunshot wounds, a Red Cross field hospital said.
Large parts of the crowd could be seen carrying large bags of flour while tried to force their way into the warehouse.
A UN envoy compared the limited aid being allowed into Gaza to “a lifeboat after the ship has sunk”.
Sigrid Kaag, the acting UN special coordinator for the Middle East, told the UN security council that people facing famine in Gaza “have lost hope”.
Israel had previously blocked any humanitarian aid, including food, water and medical supplies, from entering Gaza for three months.
