The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed the Birzeit University near Ramallah on Monday afternoon and arrested a number of students.
Eyewitnesses affirmed that IOF troops stormed the university’s campus from the northern gate and fired live bullets at the students.
Several students were detained during the attack including the coordinator of the Islamic student bloc at the Birzeit University Ismail Barghouti.
The sources pointed out that at least one Palestinian student has been wounded by Israeli fire before his arrest.
The attack came shortly after the students visited a solidarity tent set up in Ramallah in support of the cancer-stricken prisoner Nasser Abu Hamid.
Two of the five detained students were later released while three students are still held in Israeli detention centers.
The student blocs in the Birzeit University strongly condemned the attack and called for a protest vigil on Tuesday followed by mass protests against the occupation.
The student blocs said that a series of protest steps will be declared later.
Hamas said in a statement that the Israeli special forces “committed a new crime by raiding the Birzeit University campus and shooting the students”.
“We strongly condemn the occupation forces’ pursuit of the student union movement the kidnapping of students and the storming of universities” the Movement said.
Hamas stressed that the occupation’s aggressive practices will only strengthen the determination of the Palestinian youth to continue their national role in supporting the detainees’ issues the educational process and serving the Palestinian students.
The student movement with its national unity and joint action proved that it has always been capable of performing its national role with efficiency and competence the Movement added.
For his part member of Hamas’s political bureau Hussam Badran described the Israeli attack on the Birzeit University campus and its students as “a coward operation.”
He further stressed that the student movement was and still is one of the most important pillars of national action.
