Israel systematically kills Gaza educators, students: Report
The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education says the Israeli regime has killed or wounded an alarmingly high number of educators and students in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The regime has destroyed or severely damaged virtually all the schools and universities in Gaza, the ministry said on Tuesday.
Over 14,640 students have been killed and nearly 23,940 injured since the beginning of the Israeli campaign of genocide on October 7, 2023. Moreover, 724 students have been abducted by the regime, the ministry said.
Additionally, 880 education administrators and teachers have been killed and another 4,247 wounded, it added.
The Israeli regime has severely damaged 352 schools in Gaza, with 111 destroyed. It has also bombed 180 schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The ministry said the regime has significantly damaged 20 higher education institutions and destroyed 60 university buildings.
The ministry has said that 788,000 students in Gaza have been unable to attend schools and universities since the beginning of the genocide, and most students suffer from difficult health conditions and psychological trauma.
According to the ministry, there is a clear pattern between Israeli evacuation orders and the demolition of educational buildings.
Since the start of the war, every time a region has been evacuated, the Israeli regime has prioritized the demolition of educational buildings with artillery shelling and bombing.
In several cases, the Israeli regime did not stop at demolition. It has converted schools into detention centers and military barracks, and erased their educational identity.
What has been happening in the enclave is not merely genocide; it has been a deliberate uprooting of all the foundations of life, especially education, the ministry warned.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Gaza Ministry of Health reported that the total death toll from the Israeli assault on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has risen to 52,400, with 118,000 injured, most of whom are children and women.
