JERUSALEM: The European Union on Thursday condemned Israeli measures against three Palestinian schools in the occupied West Bank days before classes restart following the summer holidays.
On Monday, a kindergarten structure in a Bedouin Arab community in the eastern West Bank was confiscated, while overnight Tuesday a small primary school was demolished in the southern West Bank.
Solar panels used to power another school were also removed.
Some Palestinian children returned to school this week, while others are due to return in the coming days.
Israeli officials say the structures did not have proper permits.
Many such projects are built by European NGOs with funding from the European Union.
The EU, in a statement, expressed “strong concern about the recent confiscations of Palestinian school structures undertaken by Israel in Bedouin communities in the occupied West Bank.”
“Every child has the right to safe access to education and states have an obligation to protect, respect and fulfil this right, by ensuring that schools are inviolable safe spaces for children.”
Palestinian premier Rami Hamdallah said the confiscations were “a deliberate policy of the Israeli authorities to pressure Palestinian communities to leave, in order to confiscate their land and build additional settlements.”
COGAT, the Israeli agency that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, told AFP that the buildings were built without the necessary permits.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and has built settlements, considered illegal by the international community, for hundreds of thousands of Israelis.
![]()
EU condemns Israeli demolition of Palestinian schools
EU condemns Israeli demolition of Palestinian schools
Hamas armed wing confirms spokesman killed by Israel in August
GAZA CITY: Hamas’s armed wing confirmed on Monday the death of its spokesperson, Abu Obeida, months after Israel announced he had been killed in an air strike in Gaza.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades released a video statement on its Telegram channel, saying: “We pause in reverence before... the masked man loved by millions... the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida.”
Israel previously announced it had killed Abu Obeida in a strike on Gaza on August 30.
During the war, Abu Obeida, whose real name was Hudhayfa Samir Al-Kahlout, emerged as a central figure eagerly awaited by Gazans, as well as by Arab and international media, for official statements from Hamas’s military wing, particularly those related to prisoner-exchange operations.
Born on February 11, 1985, and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Obeida joined Hamas at an early age before becoming a member of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
He later became the group’s sole spokesman, delivering video statements in military uniform with his face consistently concealed by a red keffiyeh.
He had been the target of multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
According to Hamas officials, Abu Obeida embodied what they describe as “resistance” and was known for fiery and impactful speeches, many of which included threats against Israel or announcements of military operations.
“For many years, only a very small circle of Hamas officials knew his true identity,” a Hamas official told AFP.
Israel has decimated Hamas’s leadership, saying it seeks to eradicate the group following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war.
The video announcing Abu Obeida’s death was delivered by a masked man dressed in the former spokesperson’s distinctive style, who said he would adopt his predecessor’s name for future statements.
In the same video, he also announced the deaths of four other Hamas commanders in Israeli attacks during the war.
The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades released a video statement on its Telegram channel, saying: “We pause in reverence before... the masked man loved by millions... the great martyred commander and spokesperson of the Qassam Brigades, Abu Obeida.”
Israel previously announced it had killed Abu Obeida in a strike on Gaza on August 30.
During the war, Abu Obeida, whose real name was Hudhayfa Samir Al-Kahlout, emerged as a central figure eagerly awaited by Gazans, as well as by Arab and international media, for official statements from Hamas’s military wing, particularly those related to prisoner-exchange operations.
Born on February 11, 1985, and raised in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, Abu Obeida joined Hamas at an early age before becoming a member of the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades.
He later became the group’s sole spokesman, delivering video statements in military uniform with his face consistently concealed by a red keffiyeh.
He had been the target of multiple Israeli assassination attempts.
According to Hamas officials, Abu Obeida embodied what they describe as “resistance” and was known for fiery and impactful speeches, many of which included threats against Israel or announcements of military operations.
“For many years, only a very small circle of Hamas officials knew his true identity,” a Hamas official told AFP.
Israel has decimated Hamas’s leadership, saying it seeks to eradicate the group following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which triggered the war.
The video announcing Abu Obeida’s death was delivered by a masked man dressed in the former spokesperson’s distinctive style, who said he would adopt his predecessor’s name for future statements.
In the same video, he also announced the deaths of four other Hamas commanders in Israeli attacks during the war.
Latest updates
© 2025 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.