Several school students in the town of Al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, suffered from tear gas inhalation today, Monday, after Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas canisters, sound bombs, and live ammunition during a raid on the town, part of near-daily assaults around Palestinian schools.
Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli occupation forces stationed themselves in the “Tal” area of the old town and targeted students as they were leaving school, chasing them through main and side streets leading to the gate area.
The attack triggered panic among students and residents, with some of the injured treated on-site for suffocation.
This assault is part of an escalating pattern of aggression against the educational environment in the West Bank, constituting a blatant violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the rights to education and personal safety, as guaranteed by international conventions, including Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Firing tear gas near schools also violates the principle of proportionality under the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit excessive or indiscriminate use of force against civilians, especially children.
Chasing students through streets and terrorizing them is a clear act of collective intimidation, criminalized under international humanitarian law, amounting to the deliberate targeting of a protected group.
The recurring nature of these incidents in Bethlehem and other Palestinian cities signals a systematic effort to destabilize civilian life and dismantle the Palestinian educational system through daily raids, gas attacks near schools, and obstruction of access for students and teachers.
Such violations are not isolated events but rather part of a broader, field-based policy that starkly contradicts the responsibilities of an occupying power toward the population under its control.
The attack on students in Al-Khader must be viewed within the broader context of Israeli occupation’s violations against Palestinian children, including arrest, physical and psychological abuse, and denial of a safe learning environment. These actions demand serious international accountability to end impunity and uphold the rights of Palestinian children enshrined in international humanitarian law.
