In brief
On the first day of the new Palestinian school year, teachers and parents in Al-Mughayyir fear for their children’s lives as settler attacks climb. A 14‑year‑old was shot dead by a settler and other pupils have been injured or killed this year. The school has erected barbed‑wire fencing and reinforced gates, but ambulance crews and parents still wait outside for protection. A UN commission says settler attacks intentionally target children to coerce Palestinians out of their homes. Israeli settlements and outposts continue to expand, and political pressure mounts as elections approach.
On the first day of the new Palestinian school year, the head‑teacher of Al‑Mughayyir boys school arrived before dawn, witnessing the new barbed‑wire fencing that surrounds the school.
Bassam al‑Assaf told us, "We are scared. The students are afraid, and their parents are afraid." Six people, including three pupils, have been killed in Al‑Mughayyir this year, senior pupils calling this a surge of settler‑related violence.
A 14‑year‑old, Aws al‑Naasan, was shot dead outside the school gates in April. English teacher Waheed Abu Naem witnessed the moment when a settler fired, and soon after, a video showed the fatal shot that killed Aws. The school building itself has become a target, with bullets hitting it while students hide inside corridors.
Parents now keep ambulance crews stationed on the road outside the school and some volunteer to stand outside the gates all day for added protection.
Despite Israeli forces maintaining checkpoints, the UN Commission of Inquiry says settler attacks "have instrumentalised children" as a coercive strategy to force Palestinians to leave their land. Israeli officials dismiss the report and blame an extremist minority, describing them as "150 juvenile delinquents".
Sami Abu Rahma, a sheep farmer, says some violent settlers have directly targeted children. His nine‑year‑old son, Salim, was shot and wounded while playing near the family farm in July. In security footage, the boy shouts that settlers are approaching before gunshots are heard.
The surging attacks have come alongside a steady expansion of illegal settler outposts in the West Bank. Local ambulance crew Hadi al‑Naasan notes that settlers are now fully protected by occupation soldiers, increasing the number of injuries and especially child injuries.
International pressure builds after the UK is expected to announce sanctions over settlement policies. With Israeli elections less than two months away, the Finance Ministry has moved to take over land registration in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a step toward annexation.
To date, the UN records 316 Palestinian deaths and more than 5,600 injuries from Israeli forces or settlers, while 20 Israelis have been killed, including one child.
Palestinian parents who remain hold a growing fear of losing their children if they stay on their land amid escalating settler violence.
