Israel’s ongoing military siege and restrictions on movement have deprived around 80,000 Palestinian students of in-person education in al-Khalil and surrounding areas during the fourth week of October, as Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continued to seal off neighborhoods, close roads and prevent children and teachers from reaching their schools.

The escalating restrictions have brought much of the governorate’s education system to a standstill, forcing schools to replace classroom teaching with remote lessons and take-home assignments, according to a report issued by the al-Khalil Directorate of Education.

The report said 66 schools were directly affected by the Israeli military measures, with 2,872 students facing immediate disruption. Of these, 2,198 were trapped in areas under military siege, while another 674 had been forcibly displaced and could no longer reach their schools.

The Israeli restrictions also affected 119 teachers, including 98 trapped in besieged areas and 21 forcibly displaced from their homes. Six administrative and support staff members, including school counselors, vice principals and custodians, were also affected.

Israeli siege forces schools to abandon classroom teaching

The Directorate of Education said all schools in al-Khalil were forced to switch to remote learning and take-home assignments from Sunday through Thursday as Israeli forces maintained road closures and imposed severe restrictions on residents’ movement.

The measures have denied Palestinian children access to regular classroom instruction, direct contact with their teachers and the stable learning environment essential to their education.

The directorate warned that the continued use of earthen barriers and iron gates to seal roads and neighborhood entrances was deepening the educational and humanitarian crisis. It also cautioned that prolonged disruption could seriously damage students’ academic progress and psychological and social well-being.

Hundreds of Palestinian families caught in military siege

The education crisis is unfolding amid an ongoing Israeli military campaign targeting al-Jalda and Deir Baha, where occupation forces have maintained a siege since the previous Friday, sealing off neighborhoods, raiding Palestinian homes and damaging their contents.

More than 780 families have been affected by the military operation, while approximately 5,000 Palestinians are facing siege conditions and forced displacement, according to the report.

Since the campaign began, Israeli forces have reportedly arrested more than 115 Palestinians, including a young woman, while detaining and subjecting hundreds of others to mistreatment.

The sweeping restrictions have disrupted nearly every aspect of daily life, leaving Palestinian families struggling to access essential services and forcing children to bear the consequences of an escalating military campaign.

Palestinian children face growing educational crisis

The Directorate of Education warned that the damage caused by the siege extends far beyond the closure of school buildings. Students are struggling to obtain educational materials and maintain consistent study routines, while displaced families face mounting economic and psychological pressures.

The prolonged disruption threatens to widen existing learning gaps, particularly among children who have been displaced from their homes or repeatedly prevented from attending school.

As Israeli military raids, road closures and movement restrictions continue, thousands of Palestinian children remain deprived of their fundamental right to education, with no clear prospect of a return to normal classroom learning. (ILKHA)