A/HRC/31/44 46. In remote parts of Area C, many schoolchildren must walk 7-10 km to reach school owing to restrictions on movement, displacement and demolitions.48 Oftentimes, the difficulties of the commute to school are exacerbated by harassment and attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers. During the reporting period, the United Nations Children’s Fund documented 247 cases of attacks on education, including physical assault, detention and checkpoint harassment and delays, affecting 32,055 children. The majority of incidents were documented in Area C, East Jerusalem and H2, where children go to school in close proximity to Israeli settlements. Box 1 Case study: movement restrictions on school children in H2 Qurtuba School is situated in the old city of Hebron, in the H2 area. The journey to school requires students to cross a military checkpoint and walk past a settlement. Harassment, intimidation and violence from settlers, delays, bag and body searches, and abuse by soldiers are regular occurrences. During the past several years, international organizations have been providing protective presence to schools located in the area. Their presence has reduced checkpoint delays and settler violence. On 29 October 2015, pursuant to military orders, the whole of Tel Rumeida area and Shuhada Street were declared a closed military zone, with entry into the area limited to residents recorded on soldiers’ checklist. In addition, individuals or entities providing a protective presence have since been barred from accompanying children to Qurtuba School. Since then, an increase in settler harassment against students has been reported, with some settlers pointing guns and driving past children at high speed. Delays and harassment by soldiers at the checkpoint have also reportedly increased. The situation has reinforced a sense of fear among children and teachers in an already coercive and dangerous environment. The school’s headmaster noted that since the denial of a protective presence, “even teachers do not feel comfortable coming to school, due to fear of both settlers and soldiers”. More than one fifth of the students did not attend school during the last days of October. According to OHCHR, the incidents have affected the wellbeing of students, some of whom have reportedly suffered nightmares and bedwetting. 47. The negative effects of restrictions on access to education are compounded by the limitations imposed on access to Palestinian schools by the Ministry of Education of the State of Palestine. According to the Ministry, in the “seam zone”, for example, the permit regime restricts access so that the Ministry cannot effectively deliver school textbooks and furniture. In Gaza, owing to restrictions on imports, educational institutions face difficulties in acquiring teaching and learning materials, particularly for subjects like chemistry and engineering, which require items included on the “dual-use items” list.49 These various limitations affect the availability and quality of education. 48. Movement restrictions also affect higher education. In the West Bank, Palestinian students’ access to universities is impeded by checkpoints and road closures, and students can face long daily commutes if they wish to study in a university outside their immediate residential area. Al-Quds University has reported that, during the past three years, at least 38 of its students have been forced to postpone their final exams after being delayed at checkpoints. Restrictions on higher education are even more pronounced in Gaza. In 1998, 48 49 10 Ibid. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Rapid Assessment of Higher Education Institutions in Gaza: Data Analysis Report, January 2015.