Israeli school assault wounds dozens of Palestinians in West Bank raid

Casualties taken to Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah following an Israeli army attack on Birzeit University. Published On 6 Jan 2026Dozens of people were wounded after Israel’s army opened fire with live rounds, sound grenades, and tear gas at a prominent university in the occupied West Bank as students sat in classrooms and roamed the campus.Israeli soldiers smashed open the university’s gates as panicked students and staff watched in shock on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Israel escalates West Bank demolitions amid illegal settlement expansionlist 2 of 4Palestine advocates praise NYC’s Mamdani for revoking pro-Israel decreeslist 3 of 4UN chief Guterres calls on Israel to reverse NGO ban in Gaza, West Banklist 4 of 4Israeli settlers consume seven times more water than Palestiniansend of listThree of the injured were shot in the legs, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Five people suffered tear gas inhalation, and three were hit by flying shrapnel.“I handed back my exam paper empty, left my faculty building, and saw them in front of me. They threw sound grenades so I tried to escape and saw some teachers trying to talk to them. Then they shot live fire,” law student Youssef Sharawneh told Al Jazeera.Mustafa Rimawi, an engineering student, denounced the Israeli attack by troops. “These days Palestinian people don’t have rights. They attack Gaza and the West Bank – universities and homes alike. Even mosques are not safe,” he said.In a statement, Birzeit University said the attack “constitutes a flagrant and deliberate violation of the sanctity of universities and educational institutions”, the official Wafa news agency reported.“Storming the campus in broad daylight and transforming it into a military zone reflects a systematic policy aimed at intimidating students, undermining their right to education, and targeting Palestinian consciousness,” it said.The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 11 people arrived at the Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah for treatment.