Several Palestinians wounded as IOF continue assault on West Bank

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Apr 2025 00:35

UNRWA says that Israeli Ministry of Education officials and police officers stormed six schools in the eastern part of occupied al-Quds and issued closure orders.

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An Israeli army soldier knocks on the back door of an armored vehicle during a military operation in Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on April 8, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli occupation forces continued their assault on the occupied West Bank, storming the village of Beita, south of Nablus, and the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya.

A Palestinian girl was shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the al-Hadaf neighborhood of Jenin, while two Palestinian youths were injured by live fire during confrontations in the city of Ramallah.

Palestinian media reported that Israeli forces stormed the home of prisoner Zaid al-Junaidi in the Ras al-Joura area, north of al-Khalil, where explosions were heard from inside the house following the storming. Later, occupation forces fired tear gas at residents in the al-Fawwar refugee camp in al-Khalil, during a raid.

In Tulkarm, Israeli forces fired stun grenades at residents and also threw a stun grenade inside a restaurant in Beit Liqya, west of Ramallah.

Overnight, Israeli troops raided the town of Awarta in southern Nablus.

In a separate development, Palestinian media sources reported that Israeli forces demolished around nine homes and structures in various areas across the West Bank.

Meanwhile, the Israeli-appointed Mayor of al-Quds and "Israel’s" minister of construction inaugurated a new settlement project in the occupied West al-Quds, in a move aimed at expanding settlement activity.

In a related context, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres raised the alarm about the situation in the West Bank.

"The current path is a dead end – totally intolerable in the eyes of international law and history," he stressed.

"And the risk of the occupied West Bank transforming into another Gaza makes it even worse."

UNRWA: 'Israel' plans to shut down 6 agency schools in al-Quds

In another development, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that Israeli Ministry of Education officials and police officers stormed six schools in the eastern part of occupied al-Quds and issued closure orders.

UNRWA warned that this move endangers the education of 800 Palestinian students, stressing the serious consequences if the orders are enforced.

The agency added that the measure is completely unacceptable and constitutes a violation of international law and the immunity of United Nations facilities.

For over 70 years, UNRWA has provided vital aid and services—including education and healthcare—to Palestinian refugees.

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has described the agency as “a lifeline” for the nearly six million Palestinian refugees under its care in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.

However, UNRWA has long been a target of intense Israeli criticism, which escalated significantly following the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza.

In early 2024, "Israel" alleged that some UNRWA employees were involved in the Palestinian Resistance's attack on October 7, 2023, prompting several countries to at least temporarily suspend funding to the already financially strained agency, only to later resume the funding as no evidence proving the Israeli claim was provided.

Earlier this year, "Israel" formally cut ties with UNRWA, banning its operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

While the agency continues to function in Gaza and the West Bank, it has been prohibited from coordinating with Israeli officials, complicating efforts to ensure the safe and effective delivery of humanitarian aid in the occupied Palestinian territories.