Israeli Settlers Kill Schoolchildren in Al-Mughayyir Near Ramallah, Injure Four

Israeli settlers attacked the village of al-Mughir east of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing 14-year-old Aous al-Nassan and 32-year-old Jihad Abu Naim and injuring four others, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and witnesses. The attack struck the village’s school after residents rushed to rescue their children, and Amin Abu Aliya, head of the al-Mughir Village Council, said the settlers opened fire on the al-Mughir school “without warning.” The UN Office for Human Rights condemned the killings of Os Hamdi Naasan and Jihad Abu Na'im in al-Mughir, describing them as part of “an escalating pattern of unrestrained violence.” In a separate incident, the UN office also said settlers killed Awda Awwadeh (25) in Deir Dibwan east of Ramallah, where Israeli security forces raided the town and closed its entrances during the incident.

“By Majd Jawad: Discover the local network of Palestinian volunteers who spend their nights defending their villages in the West Bank against the growing violence of Israeli settlers”

Chronique de Palestine

The UN Office for Human Rights said settlers stormed Deir Dibwan and that one armed settler opened fire and killed Awda Awwadeh, while Israeli security forces raided the town and closed its entrances, and it reported that 30 Palestinian men were arrested and later released. Ajith Songai, director of the UN Office for Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, said, “Israeli policies have erased any line that separates settler violence from state violence.” In al-Mughir, witnesses told the UN Human Rights Office that two armed settlers in partial military uniforms were at the scene, and the UN office said the Israeli army issued a statement claiming the incident occurred when a vehicle carrying civilians including a reserve soldier was pelted with stones. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the latest attacks in the West Bank particularly affected educational facilities, adding that settlers demolished a school serving about 60 students in the Jordan Valley. The UN office also warned that children in the West Bank are experiencing more violence around and inside their schools, which it said puts them at risk and makes it harder for them to continue learning.

The UN Office for Human Rights said humanitarian partners are providing psychosocial and social support to affected students after the killings and attacks on schools, and it stressed the urgent need to protect and restore every child’s access to education. It also cited warnings from UN education partners that children are facing violence around and inside schools, and it said humanitarian partners continue to distribute meals and bread and other supplies in Gaza. In the West Bank, local volunteer groups known as protection committees or “night guards” formed a first line of defense against nearly daily assaults, with R.M. describing how residents send signals toward the hills using flashlights and lanterns as part of a real-time alert system. R.M. said, “With the old method, we could no longer defend our people and our lands,” and he explained that when they spot settlers attacking, they warn residents via WhatsApp or makhshir (walkie‑talkies). The same UN briefing that condemned the al-Mughir killings also said settlers had demolished a school serving about 60 students in the Jordan Valley, underscoring how education facilities are being targeted as violence continues.

“The United Nations Office for Human Rights condemned the killing of 14-year-old Os Hamdi Naasan and Jihad Abu Na'im (35) by Israeli settlers on Tuesday in the village of al-Mughir in the occupied West Bank, and the killing of Awda Awwadeh (25) in a separate attack carried out by settlers in Deir Dibwan, east of Ramallah”

UN News