Palestinian children, teachers flee school after Israeli tear gas strike

Palestinian students and teachers fled a school that was hit by tear gas in the occupied West Bank on Sunday afternoon after Israeli troops targeted a nearby protest.

The school in the West Bank village of Burin, south of Nablus, was overwhelmed by tear gas after Israeli forces used the substance indiscriminately when protests broke out in the area, Ghassan Daghlas, a Palestinian Authority official, told the Wafa news agency.

It came days after Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian residents nearby, during the olive harvesting season.

On Saturday, settlers were filmed lighting fires and throwing stones at a Palestinian home near Burin while Israeli forces stood by.

The attack took place between Burin and the nearby illegal Israeli outpost of Givat Ronen. A Palestinian family living on the outskirts of the village - only a few hundred meters from the outpost - have been the frequent target of settler violence.

Israeli settlers frequently vandalise Palestinian olive farms - a key source of income for local families - by setting fire to orchards and poisoning trees.

Israel has illegally occupied the West Bank since 1967, committing various violations against Palestinian civilians. 

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.