Teachers hold basic classes for children in a tent set up inside the shelter center at the Al-Yaman Al-Saeed Hospital in the Jabalia Palestinian refugee camp, in the north of the Gaza Strip on July 27, 2024, amid the ongoing Israel’s genocidal war. (Photo by AFP)
Gaza City, August 1 (RHC)-- The Palestinian Ministry of Education says that it presented a report last month about the way that Israel’s targeting of schools in Gaza has “eroded the foundation for sustained societal growth.”
Latest figures show about 10,000 Palestinian students along with 400 teachers have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on October 7th. The United Nations also reported that more than 76 percent of schools in the war-stricken Strip require “full reconstruction or major rehabilitation” to be functional.
Back in April, UN experts expressed deep concern over the pattern of Israel’s attacks on schools, universities, teachers, and students in the Gaza Strip, raising serious alarm over the “systemic” destruction of the Palestinian education system.
“With more than 80% of schools in Gaza damaged or destroyed, it may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as ‘scholasticide’,” the experts said.
The Government Media Office in Gaza said the figure is part of the overall death toll of more than 39,000 people. Meanwhile, Amjad Barham, Palestinian Minister of Education and Higher Education, said on Monday that 39,000 high school students from the Gaza Strip did not take the exam this year.
Barham added that, “There is no overall pass rate because the number of students is incomplete,” due to the killing of 10,000 students in Gaza and the inability of the remaining students to take the exams amid the months-long war.
The Israeli regime has completely destroyed 117 schools and universities, while partially destroyed 332 schools and universities in Gaza. More than 107 scientists, university professors, and researchers were also killed.
Since the start of Israel’s war, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 39,363 Palestinians and injured over 90,923. The Government Media Office in Gaza said on Tuesday that Israel has killed at least 16,000 children in the besieged territory since October. Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble.
