Israel raids 2 West Bank schools on 1st day of academic year

Israeli occupying forces raided two schools in the northern West Bank's Nablus province Sunday as the new academic year began, local sources said.

The sources said Israeli forces entered the grounds of Huwwara Boys Secondary School south of Nablus, threatened the school administration and demanded the removal of the Palestinian flag.

Another Israeli force entered the grounds of Burqa Boys Secondary School northwest of Nablus, with no injuries or arrests reported, according to the sources.

The raids came on the first day of the 2026-2027 academic year, as 846,289 students returned to schools across the occupied West Bank. The students are enrolled in 2,537 government, private and U.N.-run schools, with around 54,000 teachers.

According to the Palestinian Education Ministry, 634,294 students are enrolled in 1,967 government schools, while 163,787 attend 480 private schools. Another 48,208 students attend 90 schools run by the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).