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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces stormed several schools in the southern Bethlehem village of Tuqu on Wednesday morning, firing tear gas and assaulting students as clashes broke out, locals told Ma'an.

Israeli soldiers were reportedly positioned on the the main road of Tuqu, which has seen regular clashes since a wave of unrest swept the occupied Palestinian territory in October last year.

Sameera al-Shaer, principle of one of the village's three schools, said that Israeli forces had recently set up a barbed wire fence on Tuqu's main road, making the students' access to the schools extremely difficult.

He said that students had to use dirt roads to reach the schools.
He called on the international community to intervene on behalf of Palestinian schoolchildren.

An Israeli army spokesperson had no immediate information on the reports.