Israeli Military Lockdown Closes 691 Schools in Hebron

Number of Students Impacted by Israeli Settler Attacks on Education Had Already Doubled this School Year

RAMALLAH (Oct. 26,2026)—The Israeli military's lockdown of Hebron has forced the closure of all schools in the governorate, disrupting education for about 251,000 students, as attacks by state-backed settlers and severe movement restrictions across the West Bank drive a sharp rise in disruptions to education this school year, said Save the Children.

The lockdown, which began on October 23, comes on top of a school year already marked by rising violence against students and schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

According to the Education Cluster, a humanitarian coordination mechanism co-led by Save the Children and UNICEF, more than twice as many students have had their education disrupted so far this school year compared with the same period last year.

Between September 1 and October 20, the Education Cluster documented some 174 education-related incidents.^[1] These incidents affected 140 schools and directly impacted 24,500 students, a 121% increase compared to about 11,100 students affected a year ago.

Students lost more than 875 school hours during the reporting period, compared to about 174 hours in the same period in 2025, representing an increase of more than 400%. The Israeli military lockdown of Hebron Governorate has further deepened the education crisis. All 691 schools across the governorate have been closed, forcing a shift to remote learning for about 251,000 students.

During the same period, Israeli forces have raided homes, demolished residential buildings and forcibly displaced more than 3,000 people, with some vacated homes turned into military posts.

With severe movement restrictions now imposed across the West Bank, for thousands of Palestinian children across the West Bank, simply getting to school has become increasingly dangerous. Children face Israeli authorities-imposed movement restrictions, including 942 checkpoints, while attacks and harassment by settlers have forced children to miss classes, relocate, or abandon their education altogether.

In late September, settler attacks prevented 10 children from reaching their schools in the Tubas Governorate, forcing one family to temporarily relocate three of the children to another area so they could continue their education while the remaining seven children were left without access to in-person education.

Around the same time in Masafer Yatta, settlers blocked a school minibus carrying children to their classes from reaching their school.

In October, the brutal attacks and movement restrictions became worse. Settlers attacked students traveling to school in Huwara, south of Nablus, while in Masafer Yatta, settlers repeatedly obstructed and attacked vehicles transporting children. In one incident, settlers prevented a vehicle carrying students home from moving for more than two hours. The following day, settlers armed with stones and sticks attacked two school transport vehicles while children were inside, affecting 24 children from four communities.

The insecurity has also reached the school grounds. On October 19, settlers attempted to break into the Jalud Mixed Elementary School in the Nablus Governorate, forcing school staff to evacuate the students and send them home for their own safety.

Alongside settler violence, children and teachers continue to face restrictions and military action by Israeli forces.

In East Jerusalem, several students returning home from school in Beit Hanina suffered tear gas inhalation on September 16, after Israeli forces fired tear gas in their vicinity. On October 4, Israeli forces detained a number of students as they were on their way to their schools in the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, and on October 19, Israeli forces detained a group of teachers as they were heading to the Susiya Elementary School in Masafer Yatta.

Ahmad Alhendawi, Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe at Save the Children International, said:

"Schools and the routes to them should be free from any danger. No child should ever have to flee their classroom out of fear for their life. Yet for children in the West Bank, the journey to and from school has become fraught with peril. School should be a place of learning and safety, not a place where children are forced to escape or wait for settler attacks to end before they can return home to their families.

"The fact that more than twice as many students have been affected compared to this time last year should sound an alarm. Every school day lost to violence is a day of learning, stability and security stolen from a child.

"Now in Hebron, Israeli authorities have locked up entire communities, ordered families out of their homes over loudspeakers in the middle of the night, forcing children to flee with no time to gather their belongings, while intimidating and harassing them. International humanitarian law is clear: people living under occupation are protected. They cannot be collectively punished, expelled from their homes or stripped of their property and dignity.

"Israeli forces and settlers must end their attacks on children, teachers and schools across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and in Gaza, Israeli forces must stop killing and injuring students. The lockdown of Hebron must be lifted and displaced families allowed to return home. Barriers that hinder children's access to education must be removed, schools threatened with demolition protected, and effective, independent investigations conducted to hold those responsible to account."

Save the Children has worked in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, with a permanent presence since 1973. We work with partners to provide healthcare and nutrition services, quality education, child protection, early childhood development support, cash assistance, and other essential humanitarian aid.

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Editors Note:

[1] Education-related incidents include:  military Presence around schools, interferences with access to education-other, settler violence, delays at checkpoints, entry of military into schools, intimidation commuting to/from schools, denial of right to education, intimidation at checkpoints.