West Bank school adds security after three pupils killed amid reported violence

Al-Mughayyir boys school in the occupied West Bank has strengthened its security after three pupils were killed this year amid reported settler attacks and Israeli military incursions.

Headteacher Bassam al-Assaf installed barbed-wire fencing and reinforced the school gates before the new Palestinian school year. Ambulance crews are stationed outside, while parents have volunteered to stand guard.

Teachers have instructed pupils not to approach, shout at or react to soldiers or settlers if they come near the school. Shortly after classes began, settlers were reportedly seen herding sheep near the school while Israeli soldiers stood close by.

The BBC reported that six people, including three pupils, have been killed in al-Mughayyir this year. Fourteen-year-old Aws al-Naasan was reportedly shot outside the school gates in April, according to witnesses cited by the broadcaster. A nine-year-old boy was reportedly shot and injured in July, according to his family.

Accounts of individual shootings and the alleged roles of settlers or Israeli forces remain disputed and subject to investigation. The Israeli army did not provide a response to all allegations before the BBC report was published. A UN Commission of Inquiry has reported a pattern of attacks targeting Palestinian children, a finding Israel rejected.

UN figures cited by the BBC recorded 316 Palestinians killed and more than 5,600 injured by Israeli forces or settlers between the start of 2025 and the end of July 2026.