Occupation demolishes 'Martyrs' Monument' at Birzeit University and storms its facilities

Israeli occupation forces stormed Birzeit University campus early Monday with ten military vehicles and a bulldozer, demolishing the 'Martyrs' Monument' memorial bearing names of students killed in previous attacks. They also stormed university facilities, vandalized science college laboratories and student movement offices, and detained a security guard. The university condemned the raid, calling it an attack on national memory.

Israeli occupation forces stormed Birzeit University campus north of Ramallah early Monday, October 5, 2026, with ten military vehicles and a bulldozer, demolishing the 'Martyrs' Monument,' a memorial bearing the names of university students killed in previous Israeli attacks. The raid coincided with the eve of the first semester of the 2026-2027 academic year. Forces entered the science college building, vandalized physics and biology laboratories, stormed student movement offices, and detained a university security guard. The university condemned the raid in a statement, calling it an attack on Palestinian national memory and a violation of international humanitarian law. It noted that occupation forces had stormed the campus ten days earlier during exams. Hamas warned against the continued targeting of education, describing it as 'educational and cultural genocide,' and noted the destruction of over 90% of school and university infrastructure in Gaza and the killing of more than 1,050 teachers.