3 July 2026
In action all too typical of Israeli forces, IDF soldiers brutally forced their way onto the Birzeit University campus in order to destroy murals depicting Palestinian heroes. Here is The Palestine Chronicle report.
Israeli Forces Raid Birzeit University, Destroy Palestinian Murals in West Bank
Israeli forces raided Birzeit University, assaulted a security guard and destroyed murals of prominent Palestinian figures in the occupied West Bank.
Key Developments
- Israeli occupation forces raided Birzeit University near Ramallah, assaulting a security guard and damaging campus facilities.
- University officials said examinations would proceed as scheduled despite the raid.
- Israeli soldiers destroyed murals depicting prominent Palestinian martyrs and cultural figures in Al-Tabaqa village.
Israeli forces raided Birzeit University in the central occupied West Bank early Monday, assaulting a security guard and damaging university property before withdrawing, while in a separate incident soldiers destroyed murals depicting prominent Palestinian martyrs and cultural figures south of Hebron.
The incidents come amid continuing Israeli military raids across the occupied West Bank, where universities, cultural symbols and civilian infrastructure have increasingly come under attack.
Birzeit University Stormed
According to local sources, Israeli forces raided Birzeit University near Ramallah before dawn, assaulted the campus security guard and raided the Faculty of Physical Education building from its eastern entrance.
The soldiers damaged infrastructure and university property during the operation before leaving the campus.
Birzeit University later released photographs documenting the damage caused by the raid.
Despite the attack, the university announced that examinations would continue according to schedule.
“Following up with the relevant authorities on what happened at dawn today, when Israeli forces raided the university campus and later withdrew, we confirm to our dear students that exams will be held at their scheduled times according to the approved timetables, with no changes,” the administration said in a statement.
Birzeit University has repeatedly been targeted by Israeli military raids, which have often included arrests of students, assaults on staff, searches of university facilities and the confiscation of student publications and materials.
Murals Destroyed
Hours earlier, Israeli forces raided the village of Al-Tabaqa, west of Dura, south of Hebron (Al Khalil), where they demolished murals honoring prominent Palestinian national and cultural figures.
Imad Abu Hawash, a field researcher with the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, said the soldiers targeted murals erected outside the home of Yass Abu Hawash.
After partially destroying the artwork themselves, the soldiers reportedly forced members of the family to bring demolition equipment and complete the destruction.
The murals depicted Palestinian resistance figure Shadi Abu Ghazaleh, writer and intellectual Basel Al-Araj, renowned cartoonist Naji Al-Ali, and celebrated novelist Ghassan Kanafani.
Abu Hawash said Dura contains numerous historical and national murals and described the demolition as evidence of a new policy aimed at pursuing Palestinian national symbols and erasing Palestinian memory and identity.
He added that Al-Tabaqa has recently been subjected to repeated Israeli incursions, including home raids and daily harassment of residents.
Continuing Escalation
Israeli forces continue near-daily military raids throughout the occupied West Bank, involving arrests, field interrogations and house searches.
According to official Palestinian figures, Israeli military and settler attacks since October 8, 2023, have killed at least 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, and resulted in approximately 23,000 arrests.
The escalation has also included home demolitions, destruction of infrastructure, land confiscation, restrictions on farmers’ access to their land, forced displacement and continued settlement expansion.
Palestinian officials and rights groups warn that the ongoing campaign is paving the way for the formal annexation of the occupied West Bank, further undermining prospects for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state under international law.
