Israel settlers take photos of students after raiding Palestinian school

Israeli settlers, accompanied by occupation forces, stormed Bardala Mixed Secondary School in the northern Jordan Valley village of Bardala this morning, causing widespread fear among Palestinian students and staff.

According to Azmi Balawneh, director of Education in Tubas, the Israeli settlers raided the school premises under military protection, taking photographs of students during school hours.

This attack followed a separate raid by Israeli soldiers the previous day, reported Wafa news agency.

Israeli settlers, under army protection, storm Bardala School in the northern Jordan Valley, northeast of the occupied West Bank, disrupting the educational environment and escalating tensions in the area. pic.twitter.com/EYREB3djCM

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 6, 2025

It comes after settlers established a colonial outpost west of Bardala two weeks ago, raising concerns over potential attacks on the village under the protection of the Israeli occupation army.

Bardala Mixed Secondary School serves 147 students from fifth grade to secondary school, supported by 23 teaching and administrative staff. The school is one of seven government schools in the northern Jordan Valley, educating around 1,500 students in the area.

These incidents have become disturbingly frequent since the start of the school year, with Palestinian students facing harassment by Israeli soldiers and settlers as they leave the school grounds.

Moreover, over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war against the Palestinians in Gaza on 7 October 2023. Palestinians have also been attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

Occupation forces have escalated their repressive practices against Palestinians in the Jordan Valley, including through the demolition of homes and schools, stopping construction and preventing Palestinians and shepherds from accessing their land.

At least 837 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 6,700 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful, and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

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