Palestinian Parents Fear Sending Children to School Amid Israeli Attack Threats

Palestinian parents in the occupied West Bank are increasingly afraid to send their children to school as attacks by Israeli settlers continue to rise. At a school in the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, the new academic year has begun, but students, teachers and parents remain concerned about their safety.

School principal Bassam Al-Assaf said new barbed-wire fencing and stronger gates have been installed around the school to improve security. He said both students and their parents remain fearful.

Six people have been killed in violence involving settlers and Israeli forces in Al-Mughayyir this year, including three students from the school. One of them was 14-year-old Aws Al-Nassan, who was shot dead by a settler outside the school gate in April.

English teacher Wahed Abu Naim said settlers were seen near the school on the day Aws was killed. Gunfire broke out as teachers tried to move students to safety, forcing them to hide behind classroom walls.

At the time, the Israeli military said a vehicle carrying civilians had been pelted with stones and that a reserve soldier inside the vehicle got out and fired at suspected attackers. The soldier was later temporarily removed from duty pending an investigation.