UNRWA denounced closure of its schools in Palestine by Israel

As reported by the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Middle East (UNRWA), Israeli troops closed by force six of their schools in Jerusalem is busy.

UNRWA schools in Shuafat camp, in East Jerusalem. Photo: EFE.

May 8, 2025 time: 14:08

The information was confirmed by the Legal Center for Arab minorities and human rights organization «Adalah», an entity that denounced the emergence of Israeli forces in educational schools, located in the Shuafat neighborhood: “Israeli forces are making raids in six schools of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Jerusalem is busy”the NGO said in a statement.

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According to Adalah, the incursions occurred on the morning of Thursday, after an order issued by the Ministry of Education of the Israeli occupant, which ordered the closure of these educational centers. «Israeli security troops enforced the decision, forcing more than 550 Palestinian students, aged between the ages of six and 15, to return to their homes at noon«.

The UNRWA issued a statement expressing its alarm to these facts, noting that other schools in the area asked their students to return home for fear of their safety. “This is a traumatic experience for young children who run the immediate risk of losing their access to education”the UN agency lamented.

This closure is produced within the framework of a law approved in October by the KNESET (Israeli Parliament) that prohibits the activities of the UNRWA in Israel. Approximately 700 students are enrolled in the agency’s schools in East Jerusalem, and so far it has not been informed about an educational alternative for them.

The UNRWA performed a crucial role in the provision of essential services, including education, Palestinian refugees in various territories, including Jerusalem is busy.

Human Rights Organizations warned about the consequences of this measure, which could leave hundreds of children without access to schooling and aggravate the precarious situation of the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem.

The International Community has repeatedly urged Israel to fulfill its obligations As an occupying power and to guarantee the rights of the Palestinian population, including access to education.