Israeli military conducts armed raids of Unrwa schools in Jerusalem
The Israeli military conducted an armed raid on three UN-operated schools in East Jerusalem in the West Bank before forcing more than 550 children out of their classrooms and detaining one United Nations relief and works agency for Palestine refugees staff member on Thursday.
The raid led to an outcry from the commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, and caused Unrwa to close down three other schools in the area out of fear for their students' safety.
Lazzarini described the Israeli authorities' closure of several UN-run schools in the Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem as 'an assault on children. An assault on education'.
Writing on X, he said it was 'a sad day in occupied East Jerusalem… Storming schools and forcing them shut is a blatant disregard of international law. These schools are inviolable premises of the United Nations.
'Now, nearly 800 girls and boys - some as young as 6 years old- are left in shock and trauma,' he added.
Earlier this morning, heavily armed Israeli forces entered three UN-run schools in Shu'fat Camp in occupied East Jerusalem, where children aged between the ages of six and 15 attend.
The government decided to prohibit anyone from entering the school building after 8 May, including principals, teachers, staff, and parents. The BBC reported a closure order on the wall of the school read: "It will be prohibited to operate educational institutions, or employ teachers, teaching staff or any other staff, and it will be forbidden to accommodate students or allow the entry of students into this institution."
In October 2024, the Israeli Knesset passed a law banning the activities of the Unrwa in Israel.
Lazzarini added, 'By enforcing closure orders issued last month, the Israeli authorities are denying Palestinian children their basic right to learn. UNRWA schools must continue to be open to safeguard an entire generation of children.'
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