On the first day of the new Palestinian school year, head-teacher Bassam al-Assaf arrived at the al-Mughayyir boys school before dawn, walking past newly installed barbed wire and reinforced gates in the occupied West Bank village. Six people, including three pupils, have been killed in al-Mughayyir this year amid rising settler-related violence. In April, 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan was shot dead outside the school gates. English teacher Waheed Abu Naem recalled that bullets continued hitting the building as students hid behind classroom walls. The Israeli military stated at the time that stones had been hurled at a car carrying civilians and a reservist, who got out and fired at suspects. Israeli media reported the reservist was later suspended and an investigation launched. Over the summer, two more pupils and a 19-year-old who had just left the school were shot dead by Israeli forces during incursions and settler attacks, which the army said were responses to violent riots. With three empty desks, some parents were reluctant to send their children back. Al-Mughayyir is increasingly surrounded by Jewish settler outposts and frequently blocked by Israeli checkpoints. To reassure parents, al-Assaf installed barbed wire and reinforced gates, ambulance crews were stationed outside, and parent volunteers waited near the entrance all day. Haroon Bishara, whose sons are in the first and second grades, said the presence gives children a sense of security, though fears remain high alongside a determination not to be forced out. During the first assembly, teachers instructed pupils not to approach or react if soldiers or settlers neared. Shortly after classes began, settlers were spotted driving sheep near the school while Israeli soldiers stood close by. Abu Naem noted that settlers have moved closer to the village since April with the backing of soldiers. The Israeli army was unable to provide a response before publication. All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, and many small outposts are illegal under Israeli law as well. Ambulance driver Hadi al-Naasan stated that Israeli forces have increasingly supported and enabled settler incursions, reflecting a rise in Palestinian deaths and injuries. Residents believe settlers are deliberately targeting children to pressure adults into leaving, a strategy also highlighted in a June UN Commission of Inquiry report which Israel dismissed as a libellous sham. Sheep farmer Sami Abu Rahma said his nine-year-old son, Salim, was shot and injured in July while playing on the family farm, with the bullet still lodged in his arm. Security camera footage captured Salim shouting that settlers were approaching before running for shelter with his siblings and mother. Sami stated the shooter lived in an illegal outpost that appeared next to the farm in June and had previously shot at Salim a week earlier. The regional settlers council said an off-duty soldier was arrested on suspicion of involvement, expressing regret for any harm to innocent people while rejecting claims that lawful sheep grazing or the presence of Jews are part of a deliberate plan to harm children. UN figures indicate that Palestinian injuries from settler and military attacks have risen sharply to an average of three per day. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attributed settler violence to a tiny extremist minority, describing them as juvenile delinquents. Between the beginning of 2025 and the end of July 2026, the UN recorded 316 Palestinians killed and more than 5,600 injured, alongside 20 Israelis killed and 123 injured over the same period.
Source: bbc.co.uk
