Human Rights Watch has recently reported that Israeli forces have occupied and vandalized schools in Lebanon, an act classified as war crimes by the organization. During visits between January and March 2025, evidence was gathered indicating significant damage and destruction at seven schools, with five showing signs of direct occupation, including left-behind Israeli food items and Hebrew graffiti on walls and boards, except for the schools in Aitaroun and Bani Hayyan, which were damaged but not occupied. The full report details these findings and is available on JURIST.
This situation emerges amidst ongoing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party. The conflict has deeply impacted children and education, with over 500 public schools being repurposed as shelters, following the displacement of over 1.2 million people in September 2024. This has severely affected school attendance rates, which remain low even after a ceasefire agreement was put in place, as noted by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have publicly stated that such vandalism does not align with their values and would be investigated if found to deviate from regulations. However, social media has captured various instances of the IDF’s interactions with schools, including Israeli soldiers allegedly using a Lebanese secondary school as a military base, along with photographs claiming to show graffiti of Golani battalion logos on school walls, adding to the narrative of occupation and vandalism.
These acts, part of wider accusations of war crimes against Israel, have drawn condemnation from the UN Security Council, which highlights attacks on educational and health institutions as severe violations against children during conflicts. For further insights into the humanitarian situation exacerbated by such actions, additional information is available from the HRW.