Dozens Wounded in Israeli Army Raid on Birzeit University in the West Bank
In a shocking and alarming incident, Israeli forces stormed Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, sparking a violent exchange with students and staff that left dozens injured. The attack, which came after a student event in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held incommunicado in Israeli jails, has been condemned by Palestinian officials and human rights organizations.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with Israeli soldiers smashing open the university's gates and firing live rounds, sound grenades, and tear gas into classrooms and on the campus. The attack resulted in at least 41 people being wounded, with three suffering gunshot wounds to their legs, five experiencing inhalation of tear gas, and three hit by shrapnel.
"It was unprecedented," said Al Jazeera reporter Nida Ibrahim, who witnessed the attack firsthand. "People are telling us they've never seen anything like it. We're talking about the first time for an Israeli raid inside the campus where students were taking their classes."
The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education condemned the violent incursion, saying that it disregarded all international norms and conventions when it comes to education facilities.
"This attack will not break the will of Palestinian students or staff," said a statement from the ministry. "We call on the International Association of Universities, the Association of Arab Universities, and international human rights organizations to denounce this Israeli shooting."
The incident has sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians, who see the attack as part of a broader effort by Israel to intimidate and undermine their right to education.
"These days Palestinian people don't have rights," said engineering student Mustafa Rimawi. "They're attacked in Gaza and the West Bank – universities and homes alike. Even mosques are not safe."
The Israeli army has claimed that it targeted a "gathering in support of terrorism" at the university, but eyewitnesses disputed this account.
Meanwhile, Israel on Tuesday cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a controversial settlement project near East Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank into two. The E1 project has been under consideration for over two decades and is widely considered to be illegal by the international community.
In a shocking and alarming incident, Israeli forces stormed Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, sparking a violent exchange with students and staff that left dozens injured. The attack, which came after a student event in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held incommunicado in Israeli jails, has been condemned by Palestinian officials and human rights organizations.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with Israeli soldiers smashing open the university's gates and firing live rounds, sound grenades, and tear gas into classrooms and on the campus. The attack resulted in at least 41 people being wounded, with three suffering gunshot wounds to their legs, five experiencing inhalation of tear gas, and three hit by shrapnel.
"It was unprecedented," said Al Jazeera reporter Nida Ibrahim, who witnessed the attack firsthand. "People are telling us they've never seen anything like it. We're talking about the first time for an Israeli raid inside the campus where students were taking their classes."
The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education condemned the violent incursion, saying that it disregarded all international norms and conventions when it comes to education facilities.
"This attack will not break the will of Palestinian students or staff," said a statement from the ministry. "We call on the International Association of Universities, the Association of Arab Universities, and international human rights organizations to denounce this Israeli shooting."
The incident has sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians, who see the attack as part of a broader effort by Israel to intimidate and undermine their right to education.
"These days Palestinian people don't have rights," said engineering student Mustafa Rimawi. "They're attacked in Gaza and the West Bank – universities and homes alike. Even mosques are not safe."
The Israeli army has claimed that it targeted a "gathering in support of terrorism" at the university, but eyewitnesses disputed this account.
Meanwhile, Israel on Tuesday cleared the final hurdle before starting construction on a controversial settlement project near East Jerusalem that would effectively cut the occupied West Bank into two. The E1 project has been under consideration for over two decades and is widely considered to be illegal by the international community.
First responders are worried sick about those students & staff at Birzeit University 
They were just having a student event & then BAM! Israeli soldiers come storming in with live ammo, sound grenades & tear gas 
Can't believe it, 41 people got hurt 
Hope they're all okay now 
And on top of that, Israel's still planning to build that settlement project near East Jerusalem 
? Like, what's next?! 
International community needs to step in & put a stop to this ASAP 
those poor students and staff, being caught in the middle of all this violence 
it's not like they're doing anything wrong, you know? 
and on top of that, the Israeli army is making excuses for what happened 
instead of taking responsibility and apologizing 
it's all so frustrating 
the fact that they said it was a "gathering in support of terrorism" but eyewitnesses say otherwise makes me wanna cry 
we need to stand up for our rights 2 education! 
these attacks are gettin old, ppl need 2 be able 2 go 2 school without fear 
we need to see some real action from the international community to stop this kind of violence. 
we need to be more understanding and calm down our politicians and leaders who are making decisions without thinking about the people 
. It's like we're stuck in some kind of cycle of violence and retaliation, with no clear way out. Do we ever get to have a real conversation about these issues? Or are we just going to keep reacting to each other's provocations?
This incident at Birzeit University is really concerning, you know? I'm not sure what's going on with Israel and Palestine, but it feels like things are getting more and more intense all the time. And to think that universities should be a safe space for learning and growth... it's just devastating. The fact that there are so many people who are suffering because of this conflict is heartbreaking.
can't even imagine being caught in the middle of that chaos 
and what's worrying is the E1 project going ahead too... feels like Israel's squeezing all the life outta Palestine 
. How can you expect to build peace when you're attacking innocent people who want to educate themselves? 
. It's not okay that they have to live in constant fear of being hurt or arrested 
. We need to stand up for them and demand action from our leaders 
#FreePalestinianStudents
. If Israel is really serious about building a future, they should be focusing on creating jobs and opportunities for their citizens, not expanding settlements that only benefit a select few 
. We need to see some real change in the West Bank 
#E1Project #PeaceNotExpansion