JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Hamas government in Gaza will require female students to wear Islamic clothing to school.
The new regulation announced Monday was set to take effect immediately, according to reports. Gazan schools opened Sunday, a week before West Bank schools were scheduled to start.
The new rules require that all female students wear a head covering and full-length robe. The new rule also forbids men from teaching in girls’ schools and women from teaching in boys’ schools.
In Gaza, some 250,000 students attend governmental schools and another 200,000 students attend United Nations Relief and Works Agency schools, according to Ynet.
The ruling comes just weeks after the Hamas-led Gazan government began requiring female lawyers to wear Islamic clothing during court sessions.
