Jerusalem’s old stone streets, where kids dodge market carts and tourists, are about to get quieter. By November 8, 2025, six schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in occupied East Jerusalem will shutter their doors, leaving roughly 800 Palestinian children without classrooms. The UN is calling it a gut-punch to their right to education, and the orders come straight from Israel’s government.
The closures stem from laws passed in October 2024, which hit the ground running in January 2025. These rules ban UNRWA’s operations, strip away its diplomatic perks, and cut off any official contact with the agency. Israel’s reasoning? They’ve accused UNRWA of ties to groups they don’t like, though the UN and Palestinian officials call that a flimsy excuse. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry didn’t mince words, labeling the move a “blatant violation” of UN protections and claiming Israel’s pushing its own curriculum on Palestinian students to reshape their education.
Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s West Bank director, laid it out plain on April 30: “This threatens children’s futures.” He’s not wrong. These schools, some tucked into cramped corners of East Jerusalem, have been lifelines for kids who already navigate checkpoints and tense streets to get to class. Without them, families face a scramble for alternatives—private schools that cost a fortune or public ones that might not take them. For many, it’s a dead end.
The UN’s been scrambling to respond, but options are thin. On May 1, UNRWA fired off warnings that the closures, set to hit just days after the announcement, could ripple beyond Jerusalem. The agency’s been a backbone for Palestinian refugees since 1949, running schools, clinics, and aid programs across the region. Losing these six schools is just the latest blow in a string of restrictions tightening around their work.
Palestinian officials are livid, arguing the crackdown’s less about security and more about control. They point to Israel’s broader push in East Jerusalem, where demolitions and evictions have already displaced families. The kids caught in this? They’re not just numbers. They’re third-graders clutching backpacks, teens prepping for exams, all facing a future where even a desk and a chalkboard aren’t guaranteed.
As of May 2, 2025, the schools remain open, but the clock’s ticking. No extensions have been granted, and Israel’s orders are final. The UN’s still pushing for a reversal, but there’s no sign of that happening. For now, 800 kids are staring down a school year that might never start.