Ramallah: Eleven Palestinian students were injured, including five suffered from gunshot wounds, when Israeli military raided the Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, January 6.
The military men stormed the university with tear gas, causing several students to deal with the aftermath of gas inhalation.
According to the news agency, WAFA, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated the total number of injured included five struck by gunshots, four who suffered from gas inhalation, and two severely injured from falling during the raid.
The injured students were shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
The university’s public relations officer, Nirdin Al-Mimi, told the news agency that two more students were hurt while trying to escape the suffocation caused by the tear gas.
The PRO also confirmed that the Israeli forces had allegedly fired live ammunition, used tear gas, and thrown grenades inside the campus, adding that approximately 8,000 students were present on the university campus at the time of the incursion.
“The soldiers smashed and damaged the university’s main gate, stormed several buildings and faculties, and seized equipment belonging to the students’ movement,” Al-Mimi said.
Moreover, the university’s Academic Affairs Vice President, Asseem Khalil, was held by the military during the raid.
The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education condemned the attack, calling it a “blatant disregard” for international norms and conventions that protect educational institutions.
The ministry emphasised that such actions will not break the will of Palestinian educational institutions, their students, or staff, and that they will remain committed to the mission of learning and knowledge despite the violations.
It called on the International Association of Universities, the Association of Arab Universities, and human rights and media organisations to help put a stop to the ongoing attacks against Palestinian higher education.
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