Israeli forces fire live rounds and tear gas as they storm Birzeit University

Israeli forces fired live ammunition, stun grenades and tear gas at students and teachers as they stormed Birzeit University on Tuesday.

At least 8,000 students are trapped inside the top Palestinian university, located just north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestine's Government Communication Centre. 

Over forty people, mostly students, have been wounded or suffered from suffocation, with one image showing a trail of blood at the scene of the raid.

Footage online shows students running amid the chaos of the military raid, as grenades are thrown at crowds. 

Sources told local news site Arab48 that the raid came after students organised a solidarity event for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention. 

The main gate of the university was broken down by Israeli forces, who then spread throughout the campus, according to Al Jazeera.

"Today is a sad day for Birzeit University and for the higher education in Palestine and the world," Talal Shahwan, president of the university and a Palestinian chemist, told Middle East Eye. 

He explained that military forces, composed of 20 army jeeps, stormed the campus, firing ammunition and gas bombs at crowds.

Shahwan noted that the university is following up on its students who were wounded during the incident.

"This is not an isolated incident, unfortunately," he said, explaining that Israeli forces had repeatedly stormed the university's campus.

"We, hereby, ask all the international community and educational systems to protect the academic freedom at Birzeit University, protect the students, academics and employees at Birzeit University from these violent actions," Shahwan said.

Recent Israeli army incursions have seen students arrested and items confiscated from the university's grounds.

Faculty members and students of Birzeit have regularly protested Israeli aggression and occupation and the university has been a hub for organised protests since the campus was established in the 1970s.  

Crackdowns, raids and arrests

Israeli forces regularly conduct nightly raid-and-arrest operations in the West Bank, detaining dozens of individuals during each campaign.

Tuesday's storming of Birzeit follows a crackdown on Palestinians across the occupied territory on Monday. 

West Bank: Palestinian journalist and boy among dozens arrested by Israeli forces

Read More »

Among those arrested on Monday were journalist Enas Ikhlawi, who was taken from her home in the town of Idhna, west of Hebron; and 15-year-old Yazan al-Aloul, who was detained during raids in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm.

In Bethlehem, Israeli forces arrested more than 25 Palestinians in the Aida refugee camp, north of the city, local sources reported. Residents described the raids as involving extensive house searches and intimidation tactics.

Arrests were also made in Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Tubas.

The frequency of these raids and arrests escalated since the onset of Israel's genocide in Gaza in 2023. 

Human rights groups have highlighted the arbitrary arrest and killing of unarmed civilians during this time, including the torture of Palestinian healthcare workers. 

In just over two years, Israeli forces and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, including 217 minors, in the past two years.