Report: Israel kills 26 Palestinian students, arrests 198 in 2016

Official Palestinian statistics indicated that Israeli occupation forces committed violations and attacks on 89,799 students and 5,528 teachers and employees during 2016.

The Palestinian Ministry of Education said in a report published today that the violations varied between murder, wounding, arrests, detention and house arrests, as well as hindrances caused by the occupation’s checkpoints.

The report mentioned that the occupation’s violations resulted in the death of 26 students and one teacher, as well as the wounding of 1,810 students and 101 teachers and administrators, noting that 198 students, teachers and employees were arrested from the West Bank.

The injuries ranged from live ammunition, rubber coated metal bullets, severe beatings, settlers running over Palestinians and dozens of cases of suffocation due to tear gas inhalation.

The official report also stated that 162 schools were attacked by the occupation, including those that were raided, other which were attacked with live fire and rubber bullets, gas and sound bombs used on the premises, damaging the building and forcing classes to be suspended.

The Palestinian ministry explained that 51 school teachers and students were subject to delays at Israeli checkpoints and electronic gates, causing 3,077 cases of student tardiness and 600 cases of teacher tardiness, affecting 4,878 classes.

According to the report, the occupation forces imposed house arrest on seven students from schools in Jerusalem, as well as one employee.

The ministry urged all national institutions and international legal and human rights organisations to intervene and take immediate action to protect the education process in Palestine.

It also called for the exposure of Israel’s hostile actions that disregard all international and human rights laws to guarantee the Palestinian children’s right to free and safe education.