HEBRON, Thursday, February 21, 2019 (WAFA) – At least 30 Palestinian children suffered from suffocation, one of them reported in critical condition, after Israeli forces and settlers attacked their elementary school in the old town in the city of Hebron in the south of the occupied West Bank.

Medics at the school’s clinic told WAFA that Israeli soldiers fired tear gas canisters towards students while they were in the school yard resulting in the large number of suffocation cases, including one who was rushed to hospital in critical condition.

According to the Hebron Elementary School’s principal a number of settlers took part in the attack on the school alongside the soldiers, including one identified as Ofer and known for his extremist and racist views against the Palestinians.

Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the old town of Hebron, most of it under Israeli army control, have increased since the international civilian monitoring team, the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), has left the city earlier this month after Israel has refused to extend its mandate after 22 years of service in the divided city.

K.T./M.K.