Lazzarini: 625,000 children in Gaza lost an academic year

New York,(ST)- The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini affirmed that the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip caused 625,000 children to lose an academic year, including 300,000 children receiving their education in the agency’s schools.

Wafa News Agency quoted Lazzarini as saying in a post on the X platform today that the impact of Gaza war on children is enormous, especially on their mental and psychological health, and we should return them to learning in cooperation with partners, noting that 4 out of 5 schools in Gaza were directly bombed or damaged and need to be repaired or rebuilt for further use.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education, 9,936 students were martyred and 79,851 were injured since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Strip on October 7.

Nada Haj Khidr