Israeli forces shot and wounded five Palestinians on Tuesday during a raid at a university in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, as the Israeli military sought to justify the use of live fire by describing the incident as a "violent confrontation."
Military vehicles entered the campus of Birzeit University late in the morning, according to several witnesses who spoke to AFP and whose accounts were confirmed by the institution's president, Talal Shahwan.
Videos posted on social media showed the intervention, while AFP journalists saw several military vehicles leave the campus, escorted by Israeli soldiers on foot.
The Israeli military claimed it intervened to disperse an "anticipated gathering in support of terror" that was about to take place at the university.
The military said that a "violent confrontation broke out... during which rocks were hurled from rooftops in the area toward the forces."
"The forces responded with riot dispersal means and precise fire toward the main violent individuals," the military added.
The Red Crescent said 11 people were wounded in total, including five from live ammunition, four through gas inhalation and two as a result of falls.
The university's communications department told AFP that students had thrown stones at the troops, adding that all of the wounded were students.
An AFP journalist saw ambulances take away several people.
"Unfortunately, the university has been a recurring target, but this time the brutality crossed all limits," Shahwan told a news conference.
Israeli forces had previously entered the campus several times.
In September 2024, the army confiscated property belonging to the student council, according to the university.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Israeli violence has also surged in the West Bank.
Israeli troops and settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the territory, including fighters, as well as dozens of civilians, according to an AFP tally based on figures from the Palestinian health ministry.
