Israeli troops used tear gas against Palestinian schoolchildren staging a sit-in in the occupied West Bank after settlers blocked access to their school.
The Israeli army said it had dispersed an “unusual gathering” without specifying whether tear gas had been used against children on the first day of classes since the start of the war with Iran.
The incident took place in Umm al-Khair—a small village in the southern Masafer Yatta area of the West Bank.
On that day, pupils were due to return to class for the first time in more than 40 days—lessons had been suspended after the Israeli-American strike on Iran on February 28.
A group of children and local residents gathered near a barbed-wire fence installed by Israeli settlers, which was blocking the road to the school.
Witnesses said the schoolchildren, joined by some adults, were holding an improvised outdoor lesson as part of the sit-in, demanding that access be reopened, when troops fired tear gas.
“We were sitting there, and they threw a grenade at us(a tear gas canister). I got scared, started screaming, and ran away,” said 12-year-old Sara al-Hathalin.
“I started crying. A woman hugged me and stayed beside me. We were very frightened.”
Bassam Jabr, the education director for the Masafer Yatta district, confirmed that the children were indeed holding a sit-in at the time of the incident.
“The settlers are trying to tighten the noose around us by every possible means. One of them is blocking the road for schoolchildren and expanding the settlement,” he said, referring to residents of the nearby settlement of Carmel, who erected the fence.
“Unfortunately, there are no solutions. We will continue this action today and tomorrow until we find a way for pupils to return to school,” he added.
The Israeli military said it had sent units to the area.
“IDF soldiers were deployed to the Umm al-Khair area following reports of an unusual gathering of Palestinians,” the statement said.
“The gathering was dispersed, and there were no casualties.”
Footage from Agence France-Presse shows tear gas canisters being fired as children scream in panic and scatter.
“Last night we were happy because we were going to school. The Israelis came and blocked the road with barbed wire… we want to go back to school,” said 11-year-old Rashid al-Hathalin.
The Masafer Yatta area has long been regarded as one of the most volatile flashpoints, where settler attacks and the demolition of Palestinian homes are regularly reported.
It was in the village of Umm al-Khair that, in August 2025, Palestinian activist Awdah Hathalin was killed by a settler.
Since the start of the war with Iran, settler violence in the West Bank has intensified markedly.
Excluding East Jerusalem, the territory is home to more than 500,000 Israelis living in settlements considered illegal under international law, alongside roughly 3 million Palestinians.
Israel has maintained control over the West Bank since 1967.