Israeli forces stormed several UNRWA-run schools in the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, ordering immediate closures and forcing students and teachers to leave without warning. The move is part of what Palestinians fear is an intensifying campaign to dismantle educational lifelines under occupation.

The United Nations agency denounced the closures as a grave violation of international law and warned of devastating consequences for thousands of Palestinian children who rely on its schools. UNRWA, which runs six schools in occupied Jerusalem and a vocational training centre in Qalandiya, has already reported the closure of three additional schools in separate locations, citing mounting attacks targeting both students and staff.

With no sign of Israeli restraint, UNRWA has activated emergency measures to salvage the academic year. But the pressure is mounting. The agency voiced concern that its vocational centre — offering rare opportunities for Palestinian youth — could be next in line for closure.

Calling for urgent international protection, UNRWA appealed to donor countries and global institutions to defend its mandate and shield Palestinian education from what it described as systematic efforts to erase it. Without such intervention, the future of an entire generation remains at risk.