Public Relations, International Relations and Media Unit
4 June 2026
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ assault on a number of students from Smart College for Modern Education at a military checkpoint while they were returning to Hebron after participating in a humanitarian volunteer activity organized in cooperation with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Ramallah.
The occupation forces detained, mistreated, and physically assaulted the students, resulting in injuries to several of them. The injured students were subsequently transferred to hospital for medical treatment.
Condemnation of the Arrest of Female Students from Birzeit University
The Ministry also condemned the arrest, several days ago, by Israeli occupation forces of a number of female students and a graduate from Birzeit University. Those arrested include students Jolan Abu Awwad, Natalia Abu Diya, and Sama Safi, as well as graduate Laila Nael Khalil, all of whom remain in detention and are being interrogated by the occupation authorities.
The Ministry stated that these practices and violations are part of the Israeli occupation’s systematic policies aimed at undermining the Palestinian higher education sector and denying students their right to education in a safe and secure environment.
It emphasized that such attacks constitute violations of international laws, norms, and conventions that prohibit assaults on universities and colleges, as well as on their students, academics, and staff. The Ministry further reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s commitment to education and learning despite the ongoing restrictions and violations imposed by the occupation.
The Ministry also renewed its call on the International Association of Universities, the Association of Arab Universities, and all relevant international, human rights, and media organizations to expose and help stop these ongoing violations against Palestinian higher education institutions, and to adopt a firm and decisive stance in confronting them.