Israeli settlers are subjecting Palestinians to sexualised violence and other forms of gender-based abuse within a broader coercive environment that forces displacement across the West Bank, according to a new report by the West Bank Protection Consortium. The findings document a pattern of coercion that reaches into homes, targets bodies, and leaves families unable to remain.
Press release
Published 20. Apr 2026
More than 70 per cent of the displaced households interviewed identified threats against women and children, particularly sexualised violence, as the decisive factor in their decision to flee. Survivors described harassment, assault and intimidation by Israeli settlers inside their own homes. Men and boys reported forced stripping, sexualised humiliation and degrading treatment. These abuses occur within a broader pattern of settler attacks, together with Israeli-imposed movement restrictions and demolitions, and resulting economic decline. Combined, these pressures make continued presence untenable, forcing communities from their homes under duress rather than by choice.
“Sexual violence is not incidental to this crisis. It is one of the mechanisms driving people from their land,” said Allegra Pacheco, Chief of Party for the West Bank Protection Consortium. “The report documents how perpetrators target women, men and children in ways that fracture families and deprive communities of the ability to remain. When coercive conditions leave people with no genuine choice but to leave, this amounts to forcible transfer under international law.”
Families adopt extreme coping strategies under sustained pressure. Many separate, sending women and children away due to heightened risk while men remain behind to protect homes, land and livestock, a pattern that often precedes full displacement. Others withdraw girls from education or arrange early marriages to reduce exposure to harm.
Displacement reshapes every aspect of life. Households reported the impact of prolonged exposure to settler violence, including the sexualised abuse documented in the report. Ninety-two per cent of affected households interviewed lost access to land, 88 per cent lost their homes, and 84 per cent lost essential assets. More than half lost livelihoods, while 40 per cent of children lost access to education. Women report severe psychological distress at striking rates, alongside ongoing fear, instability and exposure to further violence after relocation.
Incidents frequently occur in the presence of Israeli forces, who do not intervene to stop attacks or enforce the law, reinforcing a climate of impunity that allows further abuse. This sustained lack of accountability entrenches the coercive environment. The report identifies these conditions as warning signs of escalating atrocity risk, including systematic targeting of a civilian population, tolerated and enabled violence by non-state actors, and the absence of effective legal protection
“This is how communities are emptied: not in a single moment, but through repeated attacks, fear inside the home, and pressure that makes ordinary life impossible,” added Pacheco. “Where serious violations are clear and risk is foreseeable, obligations under international law require states to act.”
The West Bank Protection Consortium calls on Israel to prevent and respond to violence against Palestinian communities, and on states to take concrete steps to halt further forcible transfer, ensure perpetrators are held accountable, and dismantle the conditions that allow sexualised violence to drive displacement.
Notes to editors
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The West Bank Protection Consortium’s full report, Sexual Violence and Forcible Transfer in the West Bank: How the Exploitation of Gender Dynamics Drives Displacement, is available for download here.
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The West Bank Protection Consortium, led by the Norwegian Refugee Council, supports Palestinian communities through material and legal assistance to prevent forcible transfer in the West Bank. It operates as a strategic partnership of five international non-governmental organisations, supported by EU Humanitarian Aid, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
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The report draws on 83 in-depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions conducted across 10 Palestinian communities affected by settler violence, movement restrictions, and displacement pressures, alongside 26 key informant interviews. The research for this report was conducted between May and July 2025.
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Participants included individuals at risk of eviction or settler violence, those already forcibly transferred, and members of Bedouin and herding communities. The findings combine qualitative analysis with quantitative data drawn from surveyed households to illustrate recurring patterns across these high-risk communities, rather than statistically representative trends.
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Researchers conducted all interviews with informed consent, withheld identifying details to mitigate risks of retaliation, and triangulated findings across interviews, field data, and documentary evidence.
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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
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NRC global media hotline: media@nrc.no, +47 905 62 329
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