West Bank Parents Fear for Children's Safety as Settler Attacks Escalate near Schools

On the first day of the new Palestinian school year, the headteacher of al-Mughayyir boys school, Bassam al-Assaf, arrived at work before dawn. He walked past freshly installed barbed wire fencing and reinforced school gates as the sun rose over the olive trees surrounding the village, located deep inside the occupied West Bank.

"We are scared," al-Assaf said. "The students are afraid, and their parents are afraid." Six people, including three pupils from the school, have been killed in al-Mughayyir this year during a surge of settler-related violence against Palestinians.

Security Measures Implemented at al-Mughayyir School

To reassure anxious parents, al-Assaf installed a long barbed-wire fence around the school compound and reinforced its gates. Ambulance crews are now stationed on the road outside, and several parents have volunteered to wait outside the school throughout the day to provide an extra layer of protection.

"I came because it makes the children feel their parents are with them, that they are safe, it gives them a kind of security," said Haroon Bishara, whose sons are in the first and second grades. Bishara noted that while fears for their children have intensified this year, families remain determined not to let the threat of settler attacks force them out of their village.

During the first assembly in the playground, teachers repeatedly instructed pupils that if soldiers or settlers approach, they must not shout, go near them, or react. Just over an hour after classes began, settlers were spotted through the school windows. Two men were seen driving sheep through Palestinian fields a few hundred metres away, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, followed shortly by another settler with a flock of sheep.

Fatal Attacks and Military Responses

Among the casualties this year was 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan, who was shot dead by a settler outside the school gates in April. English teacher Waheed Abu Naem, whose brother Jihad was also killed by an Israeli soldier in the same attack, recalled trying to move pupils to safety inside the school gate when the settler opened fire. Mobile phone footage captured the moment Aws was shot.

According to Abu Naem, bullets continued to hit the school building as students hid behind classroom walls or lay on the floor. The Israeli military stated at the time that stones had been thrown at a car carrying civilians, including a reservist soldier, who then exited the vehicle and fired at suspects. Israeli media reported that the reservist was subsequently suspended and an investigation was launched.

Over the summer, two more pupils were shot dead by Israeli forces during settler attacks and incursions in the village, alongside a 19-year-old who had recently left the school. In both instances, the Israeli army stated that its forces were responding to instigators of "a violent riot." With three empty desks in the classrooms, some parents were initially reluctant to send their children back for the new school term.

Allegations of Military Support for Settlers

Al-Mughayyir, an isolated village northeast of Ramallah, is increasingly surrounded by Jewish settler outposts and frequently blocked by Israeli forces operating ad-hoc checkpoints. While all Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law, and many ad-hoc outposts are illegal under Israeli law, local residents report a shift in the behavior of Israeli forces.

Hadi al-Naasan, a local ambulance driver, stated that Israeli soldiers have begun supporting and enabling settler incursions. "At the beginning of 2025, settler attacks were few, due to the army's interventions," he said. "In 2026, the situation changed completely: the settlers became fully protected by the occupation soldiers." The Israeli army did not provide a response to these allegations prior to publication.

A United Nations Commission of Inquiry report published in June found that settler attacks "have instrumentalized children... as part of a broader coercive strategy to drive Palestinians off their land," describing a pattern of intentionally targeting children to turn everyday spaces into sites of fear. Israel dismissed the UN report as a "libellous sham."

Targeting of Children and Families on Farms

Local residents believe some settlers are deliberately targeting children to pressure families to leave. At the end of July, nine-year-old Salim Abu Rahma was shot and injured while playing on his family's sheep farm outside al-Mughayyir. Security camera footage shows Salim pointing out approaching settlers before running for shelter as gunshots are heard.

His father, Sami Abu Rahma, said the shooter lived in an illegal settler outpost established next to their farm in June. Sami, who is the last remaining sheep farmer in the area, said the settler had repeatedly told the family to leave. The regional settlers council stated that an off-duty soldier was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the shooting, adding that they oppose violence but reject claims of a deliberate plan to harm children or drive residents away.

Broader Context of West Bank Settlements

The situation in al-Mughayyir reflects a broader pattern across the West Bank, where UN figures show a sharp rise in Palestinians injured during settler attacks, averaging three injuries per day. This escalation occurs alongside the expansion of Israeli settlements, which face growing international pressure, including expected sanctions from the UK.

From the beginning of 2025 to the end of July 2026, the UN recorded 316 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers, and more than 5,600 injured. Over the same period, 20 Israelis were killed, including one child and eight security personnel, and 123 Israelis were injured. Despite the arrest of some settlers, attacks continue to cause deep concern among Palestinian families fearing for their children's lives.