United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres late on Wednesday called for an immediate stop to Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, which continued into a second day on Thursday, leaving at least 18 Palestinians dead after two days of escalated attacks.
Guterres' remarks came as human rights groups condemned Israel after it launched an incursion into the northern West Bank on Wednesday morning—reportedly the largest attack on the territory in decades. Guterres said the "dangerous developments" were "fueling an already explosive situation in the occupied West Bank and further undermining the Palestinian Authority," according to the U.N.'s news service.
"Latest developments in the occupied West Bank, including Israel's launch of large-scale military operations, are deeply concerning," the U.N. chief wrote on social media.
"I strongly condemn the loss of lives, including of children, and I call for an immediate cessation of these operations," he added.
The Israeli assault has included the bulldozing of infrastructure and a wide array of attacks on at least four cities. Guterres was one of many international actors who condemned the incursion over the last two days.
"Israel's launch of a major coordinated military assault on cities and towns across the occupied West Bank follows an escalation in unlawful killings by Israeli forces in recent months and will put more Palestinians at risk," Erika Guevara Rosas, a senior director at Amnesty International, said in a statement.
Guevara Rosas expressed concern that the incursion will destroy critical infrastructure and increase forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank—methods that she said were "key pillars of Israel's system of apartheid."
Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, said that he was worried about a displacement crisis like the one in Gaza.
"The last thing that we want is this kind of massive displacement taking place in the West Bank, too," Roth toldAl Jazeera.
"Frankly, 'the dream' of the far-right ministers in [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's government is to 'solve the problem' of the West Bank," he added. "'Solve the problem' of the apartheid regime that Israel is maintaining there, by just getting rid of the Palestinians. That would be a massive war crime."
Rights groups have also expressed concern about an increase in arbitrary detentions of Palestinians in the West Bank, which have already been at a high level since October 7. Those who are detained are often horribly mistreated; more than 50 have died. B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, issued a report earlier this month that documented systematic torture in the detention centers.
Israeli forces have detained 25 Palestinians in the northern West Bank in roughly the last 24 hours, Al Jazeera reported, based on data from watchdog groups.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza since 1967. In an advisory opinion last month, the International Court of Justice declared the occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal.
Jeremy Corbyn, a member of parliament in the United Kingdom and former leader of the Labour Party, argued that Western governments were complicit in Israel's attack on the West Bank and should implement an arms embargo.
"Israel knows it can commit war crimes with impunity," he wrote on social media. "That is why it has launched its largest assault on the West Bank since 2002. We are witnessing the total erasure of Palestine—and our government is shamefully complicit. End all arms sales to Israel, now."
So far, the U.K. and the U.S., Israel's main arms supplier, have done no such thing. The Biden administration did on Wednesday sanction Hashomer Yosh, an Israeli settler group, and three of the group's individual members, calling out "extremist settler violence."
While much international attention has shifted to the West Bank, Israel's assault on Gaza continues apace. Israeli forces killed at least 15 Gazans in overnight attacks, including two girls who were struck by shrapnel, Al Jazeera reported. Israeli forces have killed more than 40,000 Gazans and more than 600 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, when Hamas and allied militant groups massacred more than 1,100 Israelis.
