IOF abducts four Birzeit University female students at dawn
A campus activist said the incident is part of the Israeli occupation’s systematic policy that aims to deprive Palestinian students from their right to education.
Israel took four Palestinian female students hostage during a raid on June 2. Photo: Palestine Government Communication Center
On Tuesday, June 2, the IOF abducted four female students of Birzeit University at dawn, after storming their places of residence in different parts of the West Bank central governorate of Ramallah and Al-Bireh.
Far from an isolated incident, violent night raids and the threat of military incursions are woven into the reality of living in a dorm in the occupied West Bank. It becomes “normal” to have fleets of armored vehicles constantly roaming around university campuses, breaking the silence of dawn; military boots may stomp towards your doorstep, as you wonder if you’ll be the next target for arbitrary detention; in some cases, students are woken up with rifles pointed at their heads.
For decades, Palestinian students in different universities of the occupied territory have experienced this living nightmare, fearing to be kidnapped from their dorms or homes by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), and later placed in administrative detention without charge.
Read more: IOF storms West Bank’s Birzeit University, wounding dozens of students
BreakThrough News spoke to Sundos Hammad, the coordinator of the Right to Education Campaign at Birzeit University, to learn more about the abduction of the four students.
The Right to Education Campaign is a grassroots Palestinian movement launched in the 1970s, with the mission of providing legal assistance to Birzeit students and staff arrested or imprisoned by the IOF.
Its mission later expanded to include documenting Israeli violations against education-related human rights, providing detained students with support, and building international solidarity to counter military oppression.
ِAccording to Hammad, the four young women arrested on Tuesday were identified as:
- Sama Safi, who was arrested from her home in Jalazone refugee camp, north of Ramallah.
- Natalie Abu Dayya, who was arrested from the dormitory of Birzeit University, north of Ramallah.
- Jolan Abu Awwad, who was arrested from her home in Birzeit town, north of Ramallah.
- Laila Khalil, who is a graduate from Birzeit University and was arrested from her home in Beitunia, west of Ramallah.
Hammad explained that the four abducted students are now under investigation, and that it is unknown yet if they are facing any charges.
“The apprehension of the four students is part of the Israeli occupation’s systematic policy that targets Palestinian university students, with the purpose of depriving them from fulfilling their role during their academic journey, including national and trade union activities inside the university campus,” Hamad noted.
The coordinator of the campaign also told BreakThrough News that there are 117 students, including five females, alongside an academic staff member from Birzeit University, currently held in Israeli detention.
It is worth noting that following the arrest of the four female students, the number of Palestinian women currently detained or serving sentences in Israeli jails has risen to 89.
