RAMALLAH, January 6, 2026 (WAFA) – The administration of Birzeit University condemned the Israeli occupation forces' raid on its campus this Tuesday while lectures were in session and students were present in classrooms.
In a press statement, the university characterized the raid as a systematic criminal assault targeting Palestinian education and the students' right to education.
The university administration explained that Israeli forces broke down the university’s main gate and fired live ammunition, stun grenades, and tear gas canisters extensively and directly at students and staff. This resulted in several injuries among the students, including those hit by live fire.
The university emphasized that the attack constitutes a flagrant and deliberate violation of the sanctity of universities and educational institutions, describing it as a blatant breach of international norms and conventions that criminalize attacks on education and guarantee the protection of students and academic staff, foremost among them the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
The statement further stressed that storming the campus in broad daylight and transforming it into a military zone reflects a systematic policy aimed at intimidating students, undermining their right to education, and targeting Palestinian consciousness. It affirmed that these repressive practices will not deter the university from continuing its academic and national mission.
Birzeit University called upon international, human rights, and media organizations to fulfill their moral and legal responsibilities and to take urgent action to expose the continuous violations against Palestinian higher education, exert pressure to halt these practices and hold perpetrators accountable, holding the occupation authorities fully responsible for the safety of students and staff.
The university affirmed that education will remain an act of resilience, adding that it will continue to serve as a place for knowledge and freedom despite all attempts at repression and aggression.
A.D./T.R.
