OHCHR condemned this week’s attacks as abhorrent and said they reflected a wider pattern of increased violence against Palestinians.
Several people were reportedly injured in the attacks, which included a raid on a dairy factory, while delivery trucks and homes were set ablaze.
The surge in violence comes as Israeli authorities have also ramped up home demolitions in addition to property seizures and the forcible displacement and transfer of thousands of Palestinians by Israeli settlers and the military, OHCHR continued, in a briefing for journalists at the UN in Geneva.
Officials reiterated that Israel’s assertion of sovereignty over the occupied West Bank and its annexation of parts of it, are in breach of international law which has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Meanwhile in Gaza, hundreds of tents and makeshift shelters were flooded due to heavy rain on Friday.
“We fear that thousands of displaced families will be left fully exposed to these harsh weather conditions” amid wider health and protection concerns, said the UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric at a later briefing in New York.
UN partners are working to provide shelter support via rapid response teams.
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