Bethlehem/PNN 

Israeli occupation bulldozers demolished the Al-Tahadi 5 school in the village of Jabal Al-Dhib, east of Bethlehem, early on Sunday morning.

During the incident, clashes erupted between the locals and the occupation forces in the vicinity of the school, during which live ammunition, sound bombs, and toxic gas were fired towards citizens who attempted to prevent the occupation from carrying out the demolition of the school.

Bassam Jabr, the Director of Education in the Bethlehem Governorate, stated that the Israeli forces began demolishing the school in the early hours of the morning, after storming the area with dozens of military jeeps and surrounding it, where an Israeli bulldozer began the demolition process.

The Director of Education ministry office in Bethlehem condemned the Israeli crime of demolishing the school, which accommodates around 60 students from first to fourth grade, and had been previously demolished in 2017 before being rebuilt in the same year.

For his part, Hassan Breijieh, the Director of the Wall and Settlement Resistance Office in Bethlehem, pointed out that the Israeli Central Court issued a decision to demolish the school last March, after rejecting a request submitted by the Wall and Settlement Resistance Authority and the human rights organization "St. Yves" to stop the demolition of the school.

He added that the school is located on an 8-dunam land area donated by members of the Al-Zawahra family, with registered proof of ownership in the "Tabu" system. The school was built of bricks and sheets, and serves students from the areas of Jabal Al-Dhib, Al-Zawahra, Al-Wahsh, and Abu Mahimid