Israeli army opens fire at university and injures dozens of students in the West Bank

Dozens of students and employees were injured after Israeli army forces invaded Birzeit University, one of the most important in the occupied West Bank, this Tuesday (6). Soldiers opened the campus gates and fired live ammunition, sound grenades and tear gas, while classes took place and students circulated around the premises.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, three people were shot in the legs, five suffered gas inhalation and another three were hit by shrapnel. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 11 injured people had to be taken to the Arab Istishari Hospital in Ramallah.

“Glagnant violation of university sanctity”

In a statement, Birzeit University classified the action as a “flagrant and deliberate violation of the sanctity of universities and educational institutions”. For the institution, the incursion reflects a systematic policy of intimidation against Palestinian students and a direct attack on the right to education.

“Invading the campus in broad daylight and turning it into a military zone aims to undermine Palestinian consciousness and suppress academic life,” said the university, in a statement published by the official Wafa agency.

Solidarity with prisoners and armed repression

The attack occurred after a student event in solidarity with thousands of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons and coincided with the screening of the film Price Rajabwhich depicts the death of a six-year-old Palestinian girl during the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

Shortly before the session, Israeli forces invaded the campus. In response, the army claimed to have targeted a “gathering in support of terrorism”, a justification rejected by Palestinian authorities and human rights organizations.

“No place is immune”

Journalist Nida Ibrahim, from Al Jazeerawho reported directly from the university, stated that 41 people were injured in total, with 11 hospitalized. According to her, this is an unprecedented episode.

“This is the first time we have seen an Israeli attack with live ammunition inside a university campus, while students were attending classes,” he reported. “For Palestinians living under occupation, education is one of the few tools to guarantee a future and livelihood. Today, not even that space is protected.”

Official condemnation and international appeal

The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education strongly condemned the raid, saying the action violates international conventions that protect educational institutions. The body called on international universities and human rights entities to denounce the attack.

“The use of force will not break the will of the Palestinian students,” declared the ministry, in a statement.

Settlements advance as repression intensifies

On the same day as the university attack, the Israeli government removed the last administrative hurdle to starting construction of the controversial E1 settlement project east of Jerusalem. According to the Peace Now group, the tender paves the way for works to begin in the coming weeks.

Considered illegal by the international community, the E1 project is seen by critics as a decisive step towards fragmenting the West Bank and making a future contiguous Palestinian state unfeasible.

“Another nail in the coffin”

The plan is defended by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a central figure of the far right in the government. In August, he stated that the objective is to definitively bury the idea of ​​a Palestinian state.

“Palestinian statehood is being wiped off the table not with slogans, but with actions,” Smotrich said. For international observers, the attack on Birzeit University and the expansion of settlements are part of the same consolidation strategy as the Israeli occupation.

With information from international agencies