Shocking toll of Israeli aggression targeting education in Gaza, West Bank
GAZA, July 08 (YPA) – The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education revealed a shocking death toll on Tuesday from the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, confirming the death of 18,243 students and the injury of more than 31,600 others since the war began on October 7, 2023.
In an official statement, the ministry explained that the number of student martyrs in the Gaza Strip alone reached 17,175, while 26,264 others were injured with varying degrees of severity.
Meanwhile, 140 students were killed in the West Bank, 927 were injured, and 768 students were arrested in the West Bank.
The ministry reported that the Israeli aggression was not limited to students but also affected educational staff, with 928 teachers and administrators killed, 4,452 injured, and 199 teachers and administrators arrested, the majority of them in the West Bank.
Regarding educational institutions, the ministry stated that more than 252 government schools in the Gaza Strip were severely damaged, including completely destroyed 118 schools, while 91 government schools and 91 UNRWA schools were damaged as a result of bombing and vandalism, and sixty university buildings were also completely destroyed.
In the West Bank, Israeli incursions affected 152 schools and eight universities and colleges, in addition to the destruction of the walls of dozens of schools, particularly in the governorates of Jenin, Tulkarm, Salfit, and Tubas.
The statement indicated that the Israeli occupation also forcibly displaced students and teachers from the Bedouin al-Ka’abneh School in Jericho after storming the school and attacking its contents. It noted that 25 schools were completely removed from the educational records as a result of destruction or forced displacement.
In light of these escalating violations, the ministry of education called on the international community to “assume its legal and humanitarian responsibilities, take urgent action to protect students and educational facilities, and halt the aggression that threatens the future of education in Palestine.”
YPA