Israeli settler attacks on the Hammamat Al-Maleh School

On April 20, 2026, at 18:00, a group of settlers stormed the Al-Maleh Bedouin community in the northern Jordan Valley (Tubas governorate), and demolished with bulldozers the Al-Maleh Basic School and the surrounding housing, after all the families had previously been displaced from it under threat.

Meanwhile, Azmi Balawneh, the Director of Education in Tubas, stated that approximately 70 students, from kindergarten through fourth grade were receiving their basic education at the targeted school. But due to the settler attacks that caused families to flee the area, the number of students dwindled to 30, then to 16, before the school was completely emptied after all the families were displaced. The school employed seven staff members, including the principal, five teachers, and a services courier.

The settler attacks included vandalism, destruction of facilities and obstructing the access of its students.

On April 24, 2026**** The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem issued a statement condemning Israeli settler encroachments on Church-owned lands in the Tayasir and Hamam Il-Maleh areas of Tubas Governorate in the northern West Bank. A few days ago, Israeli settlers demolished a school built on the church's land. The Patriarchate's Endowment Department submitted a formal complaint detailing Israeli settler attacks on Patriarchate lands and local residents. The Patriarchate called for the immediate removal of all damage, an end to future intrusions, and legal protection for its properties. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa was fully briefed on the developments and personally instructed that the matter be pursued seriously and that all possible support be extended to local residents. The Endowment Department of the Latin Patriarchate confirms that protecting Church endowment properties is a red line.