LONDON: Israeli settlers vandalized a Palestinian school near Hebron in the occupied West Bank after residents completed renovation for pupils’ return.
Fayez Al-Tal, the head of the Zanouta Village Council, said that the village school was destroyed by Israeli settlers who, early on Sunday, broke into the premises and “looted” the iron doors, wooden panels, and classroom dividers, according to Wafa news agency.
Zanouta is a small village east of Al-Dhahiriya, with nearly 150 people. Most of the 27 families there work as shepherds and some residents live in naturally formed caves. Israeli settlers have repeatedly demolished the village school, but the residents have rebuilt it each time.
Al-Tal said that residents and the local council had just completed restoration work to prepare for pupils’ return when the attack occurred on Sunday. He said that settlers “repeatedly attacked the village, destroyed homes, and forcibly displaced residents through violence and property destruction.”
In November 2023, Israeli settlers set fire to and destroyed the Zanouta Coeducational Primary School. Additionally, on Oct. 28, 2023, residents were forced to abandon their homes because of relentless Israeli attacks, which were overshadowed by the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
After being displaced for nine months, villagers received an Israeli court order in August 2024 to return to Zanouta. Israeli settler attacks, however, continue, Wafa reported.
