• Israeli forces closed six UN-run schools in annexed east Jerusalem.
• Closure affects the education of over 800 Palestinian students.
• The move is condemned as a violation of children's rights to education.
• UN agency officials report traumatic impacts on children and staff.
• Israeli authorities cite operational restrictions as the reason for closures.

Israeli forces closed six UN-run schools in annexed east Jerusalem on May 8, 2025, just weeks before the school year’s end. The Israeli Ministry of Education had ordered the closures, claiming that the schools operated without proper authorization. According to the UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, the closures have disrupted the education of over 800 children India Times, Middle East Eye, and BBC.

The closures were enforced with significant police presence, as armed Israeli forces raided the schools, forcing students aged six to fifteen to leave abruptly. UNRWA's director in the West Bank described this as a “traumatizing experience”, with many young children leaving the premises in distress Le Monde, Dawn, and India Times.

The Palestinian Authority condemned the closures as a violation of children's rights to education, calling for international intervention. The referenda indicate that this act follows a broader ban on UNRWA's operations imposed by Israel earlier this year, citing claims that the agency promotes anti-Israel sentiment BBC and Middle East Eye.

Reports detail that Israeli police detained a staff member during the closure operations and deployed police forces at additional locations to monitor other UN schools in the city. UNRWA officials stressed that this represents a severe infringement on the educational rights of Palestinian children, many of whom are now at risk of losing their access to education entirely Le Monde, Dawn, and India Times.