Israeli forces raid West Bank schools on opening day
12:50, 06/09/2026, Sunday
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Israeli forces entered two secondary schools in the northern occupied West Bank province of Nablus on Sunday as the 2026-2027 academic year began, threatening staff at one institution and demanding the removal of the Palestinian flag while students returned to classrooms across the territory, according to local sources.
Raids target Nablus institutions
Israeli forces raided two secondary schools in the northern occupied West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, threatening administrators and demanding the removal of national symbols as the 2026-2027 academic year began across the territory, local sources said. The incidents marked a tense start to the term for students and faculty in the province.
Schools ordered to remove flags
At Huwwara Boys Secondary School south of Nablus, soldiers entered the grounds and threatened the school administration while demanding the removal of the Palestinian flag, the sources said. A separate Israeli force entered Burqa Boys Secondary School northwest of the city, though no injuries or arrests were reported during either incident, according to the same accounts.
New academic term underway
The raids coincided with the first day of the academic year, when 846,289 students returned to 2,537 government, private and UN-run schools across the occupied West Bank. Around 54,000 teachers are overseeing classes for the new term, according to educational authorities monitoring the start of the 2026-2027 session.