Barbed wire prevented dozens of Palestinian children from reaching school this week.  It was placed across their usual path in the village of Umm al-Khair, near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. 

Villagers say the barrier was erected by Israeli settlers, forcing children to take a longer and potentially dangerous route.

Israeli forces also fired tear gas in the area, with some children experiencing breathing difficulties, Reuters reported. 

The Israeli military said it used “riot dispersal means” against adults approaching a security perimeter, and said that the children were present but not targeted.

The incident comes amid increasing movement restrictions across the occupied West Bank, where checkpoints and roadblocks have expanded since October 2023. 

The United Nations has also reported that at least 235 children were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. 

One in five of the total Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank during this period were children, according to the UN.

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