PPS: Israel arrests six Palestinian students during school exams

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) stated on Thursday that the number of Tawjihi students arrested by Israeli occupation forces has risen to six, following the detention of two more students. Tawjihi is the national secondary school examination programme in Palestine. The PPS said troops detained Diaa Abdel Fattah Jawabra, 18, from the Al-Arroub refugee camp after raiding his family home on Wednesday morning. During the raid, Zionist forces damaged the house and its contents and assaulted family members. Earlier, Israeli forces also detained Amr Osama Rabay’a, 18, from Jenin after storming his family home. According to the PPS, the continued targeting of Tawjihi students reflects a systematic policy aimed at depriving Palestinian students of their right to education and preventing them from completing their studies. Data from the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education shows that 65 Tawjihi students were detained before the exams began. With the six new arrests, the total number of detained Tawjihi students has risen to 71. The PPS said the mass arrest campaign across the occupied West Bank, which has escalated since the start of the Gaza war, continues to target all segments of Palestinian society, particularly students.