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UNRWA statement on return to schools in the occupied West Bank

UNRWA

4 Sep 2025

RAMALLAH,

Today, children across the occupied West Bank will be starting the new school year, including nearly 46,000 Palestine Refugee children attending UNRWA schools. For 5,000 boys and girls beginning their education journey, this will be the first time they set foot in a classroom.

On this happy day for thousands of children, we do not forget those children who are unable to enjoy their right to education to the fullest. This year, for the first time in its history, UNRWA is unable to open its schools in East Jerusalem for the new academic year, following the forced closure of six UNRWA schools by Israeli authorities in May 2025, affecting nearly 800 children. Only some of these students have been able to enrol in other schools.

In the northern West Bank, ten UNRWA schools in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps remain closed as a result of the Israeli Forces operation 'Iron Wall'. More than 4,000 children, instead of returning to their classrooms, are participating in adapted education programmes including remote learning, self-learning materials, and temporary learning spaces.

Education should be a safe haven for children, and yet over the last two years there have been unprecedented levels of disruption to education in the occupied West Bank. UNRWA schools have been damaged and forcibly entered into, jeopardising safe and dignified access to education. Continued violence and displacement have caused children and their families distress and trauma. Of the more than 30,000 Palestinians still displaced in the northern West Bank, more than one third are children.

In this context, upholding the right to education is more important than ever. UNRWA, as the second largest provider of education in the occupied West Bank, is proud to have safeguarded the future of Palestine Refugee boys and girls for more than 75 years through our schools and training institutions.

As the joy of the first day back fills our schoolyards and classrooms, we wish that all children across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, can continue their education in safety and filled with hope.

ENDs-