GENEVA — The United Nations human rights office reported a sharp rise in Israeli settler attacks across the occupied West Bank on Thursday, days after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned assaults on Palestinian communities. The office urged Israel to protect civilians and halt the expansion of outposts.

The warning followed the establishment on Tuesday of a new settler outpost on land belonging to the town of Yasuf, east of Salfit, according to Palestinian officials. Guterres condemned the attacks on Palestinian villages the same week, calling for accountability and an end to the erosion of Palestinian land rights.

A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said its field teams had recorded a rise in incidents involving property destruction, the intimidation of residents and the seizure of grazing land. The office said several communities near Salfit and Ramallah had been partially or fully displaced in recent weeks.

Palestinian officials in Ramallah called on the international community to intervene, while Israeli authorities said security forces operate against violence by anyone. European governments, including France and Ireland, have previously imposed sanctions on individual settlers accused of attacks, and rights groups pressed for broader measures.

The reported escalation added to strains on efforts to stabilise the region as attention remained focused on Gaza. UN monitors said settler violence had reached some of its highest recorded levels since the office began systematic tracking.