Birzeit University slams extensive damage after Israeli raid; more than 150 students held in Israeli prisons

Birzeit University said on Tuesday that Israeli forces carried out a large-scale raid on its campus in the occupied West Bank, causing extensive damage to university buildings and facilities. The university council described the incursion as part of a “systematic policy” targeting Palestinian education, in violation of international conventions that prohibit attacks on academic institutions.

In its statement, the council reported that Israeli soldiers stormed the university at dawn, detaining and handcuffing members of the campus security staff before ransacking multiple buildings. Significant damage was inflicted on equipment, offices and infrastructure across the campus.

The university stressed that the assault was not an isolated incident but part of a long-standing pattern of Israeli aggression against higher education in Palestine. It noted that more than 150 Birzeit University students are currently held in Israeli prisons, while the campus continues to face repeated military raids — the most recent prior to today’s occurring on 22 September.

According to the council, today’s attack marks the twenty-fifth Israeli raid on Birzeit University since 2002, reflecting what it described as a sustained escalation against educational institutions in the occupied territories.

The raid comes amid a broader intensification of Israeli operations across the West Bank, where university campuses, schools and civilian infrastructure have increasingly been targeted during military incursions.

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