The al-Mughayyir secondary school in the occupied West Bank has reinforced its security measures to defend against violence from Israeli settlers.
These protective steps follow a period during the previous academic year where five students were killed by settlers. One of those teenagers was shot and killed by settlers at the school gates during the last academic year.
A new wall was erected to shield classrooms from a nearby hilltop where a settler shot two people, including a student, during the previous academic year. Al-Mughayyir is a town of approximately 3,000 residents situated north-east of Ramallah. Local residents claim the ongoing violence is part of a broader project intended to displace Palestinians from their land.
The number of settler outposts near al-Mughayyir rose from one in 2023 to 12 currently. Settlers attacked a home in al-Mughayyir in 2024. Abu Alia stated that two teenagers, Omar al-Nassan, 19, and Khalil Abu Alia, 16, were killed by settlers and Israeli soldiers in early September while trying to stop the theft of their sheep.
Abu Alia said, “The last theft was of 60 sheep in the centre of the village. Ten military vehicles came. They came into the centre of the village and laid siege to that area. They stole the sheep and opened fire on people.”
The Israeli military stated it entered the village to provide security for an Israeli civilian and police attempting to retrieve livestock, and that it fired on “key instigators” when Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers. The Israeli rights group Yesh Din reported that settlers have carried out more than 170 attacks since the harvest began at the end of September.
Three families have already left the village to be closer to their places of work.
Bassam Abu Assaf, the principal of al-Mughayyir secondary school, said, “The school’s aim is that when the children enter the school, and when they go home, they are protected.” The school is currently only in session for three days a week.
