To the Honourable Members of the Swiss Federal Assembly
Bern, Swiss Confederation
27 October 2026
Dear Members of the Federal Assembly,
We write to you as an urgent appeal following the Israeli occupying forces’ bombardment of the campus of the Islamic University of Gaza on 25 October 2026. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the attack killed three university employees and injured several students.
This attack comes at a time when students across the Gaza Strip are striving to reclaim their right to in-person education after years of killing, destruction, displacement and disruption to their studies. Despite the immense devastation and shortage of resources, these students have returned to their universities and schools carrying a simple and legitimate hope: to continue their education and build their future. Once again, however, they find themselves exposed to threats to their lives within places that should be sanctuaries of learning and safety.
The gravity of this attack extends beyond the deaths and injuries it caused, devastating as they are. It also instils fear among tens of thousands of students and their families, threatens the prospects for resuming education, and undermines the ability of academic institutions to fulfil their mission.
The bombardment of the Islamic University was not an isolated incident in the context of the risks facing educational institutions in the Gaza Strip. Other recent incidents have affected students, schools and areas surrounding places of learning, including:
- Al-Muradiya Girls’ School, northern Gaza Strip — 21 October 2026: The Palestinian Ministry of Education announced that Israeli military vehicles opened fire on the school and its surroundings, injuring two students, Suad Qandil and Amna Khaled Ali Khader. According to the information made public, this incident posed a direct threat to the safety of students while they were in their learning environment.
- Killing of a child returning from a learning centre, Deir al-Balah — 17 October 2026: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that Mohammed, a 14-year-old child, was killed after he was reportedly struck by an armed drone while returning from a UNICEF-supported learning centre. His school bag was left lying beside his body.
Honourable Members,
The right to education is a fundamental human right guaranteed by Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and Articles 28 and 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It must not be treated as a secondary need that can be postponed indefinitely. It is inextricably linked to human dignity, the development of the individual, and the ability to build a future and contribute to society.
Students, teachers, academics and employees of educational institutions are also entitled, as civilians, to the protection afforded by international humanitarian law. Schools and universities are, in principle, civilian objects and must not be made the object of attack.
Under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally directing attacks against civilians or buildings dedicated to education may constitute war crimes when the applicable legal requirements are met, including that such buildings are not military objectives. Determining the legal and criminal classification of each incident therefore requires an independent investigation into its circumstances and the relevant evidence.
Mindful of Switzerland’s distinctive role as a State Party to and the depositary of the Geneva Conventions, as well as its contribution to supporting international humanitarian law, we urge you to take a clear and urgent parliamentary position and to work towards:
- Calling for an end to attacks on educational institutions and their surroundings, and for the measures necessary to protect students while they are at places of learning and travelling to and from them.
- Supporting and cooperating with international investigation and accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, while respecting their independence.
- Contributing to the rehabilitation of schools and universities; the removal, by competent authorities, of rubble and explosive remnants of war from their surroundings and access routes; and the reconstruction of laboratories, libraries and academic facilities.
- Supporting Palestinian university students through scholarships and academic partnerships with Swiss universities, and helping to provide the means they need to continue their education and preserve their academic progress.
We would be grateful to be informed of any steps or initiatives you consider appropriate in this regard. We reaffirm our readiness to provide any relevant information and documentation available to us.
Please accept the assurances of our highest consideration.
Geneva Centre for Democracy and Human Rights – Geneva
International Association of Jurists – Geneva Branch
International Justice Forum – Istanbul