Israeli occupation killed 430 high school students in Gaza since last August

OCCUPIED AL-QUDS, JUN.22, ST)-The ongoing Israeli offensive on Gaza, now in its 260th day, has severely impacted the education sector, with devastating consequences for thousands of students and their families.

The relentless Israeli war has prevented 39,000 students from taking their Tawjihi exams. Many have been directly affected by the aggression, either losing their lives or having their education disrupted due to the destruction of schools and other educational infrastructure.

The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education reports that 430 high school students in Gaza and 20 in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli troops since the academic year began in August.

Statistics from the Ministry paint a grim picture: at least 8,000 school-aged children and 350 teachers have been killed in Gaza. Additionally, there are over 12,500 injured students, 2,500 of whom have sustained disabilities. These numbers highlight the profound human cost of the war and its impact on the education system.

Non-official sources indicate that the Israeli forces have entirely destroyed approximately 110 schools and a university, and partially damaged 321 others. Moreover, 150 out of 228 schools operated by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) have been targeted, with many serving as shelters for displaced families.

Currently, 630,000 students in Gaza are deprived of their right to education, including those in government, UNRWA, and private schools, as well as 88,000 university students and 80,000 kindergarten-aged children.

This widespread disruption of education prompted 19 UN experts and rapporteurs to condemn the destruction as a deliberate attempt to dismantle the Palestinian education system, referring to it as “educational genocide.”

Source: WAFA

B.Q.