Israeli occupation forces stormed schools in the Shuafat refugee camp, northeast of occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, May 8, and issued military orders mandating their immediate evacuation and closure. They demanded that students and teaching staff leave the area immediately, as the decision to close six UNRWA schools went into effect.
Occupation forces fixing a closure to the wall of the UNRWA school in Jerusalem (Photo: AFPS)
A closure order fixed to 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.” The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement on Thursday that Israeli police forces stormed the school grounds and surrounding areas, amid heightened tensions and fears of attacks on students and teachers. This comes as part of a systematic Israeli escalation against Palestinian educational institutions in the city.
The UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, has strongly condemned the forced entry by Israeli security forces into its schools in occupied East Jerusalem, describing it as a violation of children’s right to education and safety.
According to the agency, heavily armed personnel entered the schools in Shu’fat refugee camp on Thursday while classes were in session, forcing more than 550 Palestinian girls and boys – some as young as six – out of their classrooms. One UNRWA staff member was detained, and all of the agency-run schools in East Jerusalem were subsequently evacuated as a precaution.
“This is an assault on children. An assault on education,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement. “Storming schools and forcing them shut is a blatant disregard of international law.” He added that by enforcing the closure orders issued against UNRWA schools in April, Israeli authorities are denying Palestinian children their basic right to learn.
“These schools are inviolable premises of the United Nations. UNRWA schools must continue to be open to safeguard an entire generation of children,” Lazzarini said. Roland Friedrich, Director for UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, warned the Palestine refugee children are at an “immediate risk” of losing their access to education. “Israel’s actions today are a grave violation of its obligations as a UN Member State under international law,” he said in a social media post. He called on the international community to uphold UNRWA’s mandate and humanitarian space in the West Bank.
Also, Hadash condemned the closure of the schools. According to Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman, “The raid on UNRWA schools in East Jerusalem is another violent escalation in Israel’s war on Palestinian existence. Storming classrooms, detaining staff, and terrifying hundreds of children is not law enforcement—it’s a colonial attack on the right to learn and to live.”
On April 8, the Israeli occupation authorities issued a decision prohibiting anyone from entering the school building after May 8, 2025, including principals, teachers, staff, and parents. In October 2024, the Knesset passed a law banning the activities of UNRWA) in Israel and occupied East Jerusalem.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32430
