By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - The UN on Friday said that 344 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since Oct. 7, making 2023 the deadliest year yet for Palestinians in the West Bank.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) noted that 344 Palestinians, including 88 children, were killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between Oct. 7 and Jan. 12.
"2023 is thus the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the UN began recording casualties in 2005," it wrote on X.
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip following an attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.
The Israeli army's devastating war has resulted in 24,620 deaths and 61,830 injuries and caused the displacement of more than 85% of the Gaza Strip's population, according to Palestinian authorities and the UN.