Palestinian Parents Fear for Children's Safety Amid West Bank Settler Attacks
· World · BBC News
On the first day of the new Palestinian school year, the head-teacher of al-Mughayyir boys school in the occupied West Bank arrived to work past newly installed barbed wire fencing and reinforced gates. Bassam al-Assaf stated that students and parents remain fearful following a surge of settler-related violence that has killed six people in the village this year, including three school pupils. Fourteen-year-old student Aws al-Naasan was shot dead outside the school gates in April, prompting teachers to attempt moving pupils to safety while bullets hit the building. Over the summer, two more pupils and a 19-year-old former student were killed by Israeli forces during settler attacks and incursions, which the Israeli army attributed to responses against violent riots. The isolated village north-east of Ramallah is increasingly surrounded by Jewish settler outposts and frequently blocked by ad-hoc military checkpoints.
Why it matters
Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank face severe security risks while attempting to maintain basic education for their children amid rising violence.
Read the original report — BBC News
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