'Israel' targeted 69% of schools sheltering people in Gaza: UN
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The Global Education Cluster describes the attack as a "blatant disregard of humanitarian law."
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Palestinians transport the bodies of loved ones killed during Israeli bombardment for burial in the al-Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City on June 22, 2024. (AFP)
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) reported Sunday that the Israeli occupation bombed 69% of schools housing displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The Global Education Cluster, established in 2007 and led by UNICEF and the local Child Protection Network, reported that 69% of school facilities where displaced families were seeking refuge were directly attacked or damaged, calling it a "blatant disregard of humanitarian law."
“This blatant disregard of humanitarian law must stop. We need a ceasefire now,” it added.
In a concerning development, the Global Education Cluster has highlighted that over 76% of schools in Gaza require immediate reconstruction or substantial rehabilitation to resume functioning, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) posted on X.
Despite these challenges, UNRWA affirmed its commitment to providing essential learning activities to students, emphasizing the critical importance of education as a fundamental human right.
In #Gaza, over 76% of schools need reconstructing or require major rehabilitation to be functional again, according to @GlobalEdCluster.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) June 21, 2024
Despite this, @UNRWA teams continue to reach children with play & learning activities.
Education is a fundamental human right.#CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/G0cWR9NWDw
800,000 students in Gaza deprived of education amid Israeli genocide
Gaza's Government Media Office said Saturday that at least 800,000 children have been deprived of their right to education as the war on Gaza rages for the 261st day.
Gaza's Ministry of Education released a statement, cited by the Office, detailing that over "800,000 students of various educational levels in the Gaza Strip have been deprived of their right to education since Oct. 7 last year, due to the genocidal war being waged by the criminal Zionist occupation on the Gaza Strip."
Of these students, the statement listed 40,000 secondary students who "will not be able to participate in this year’s session of the high school exams, representing an unprecedented violation that threatens their future and undermines their chances of enrolling in local and international universities and colleges."
Meanwhile, fifty thousand students attended final high school test rooms, known as "Tawjihi", in West Bank governorates and Palestinian schools abroad while students in Gaza were unable to take the examinations due to the Israeli offensive.
The Gaza Media Office stated, "85% of educational facilities are out of service due to direct and deliberate targeting, posing a significant challenge to efforts to resume the educational process after the war ends."
The number of Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on October 7 has risen to 37,598 and those injured to 86,032, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip confirmed on Sunday.
In its daily report, the Health Ministry stated that the Israeli occupation forces committed three massacres in 24 hours, killing a total of 47 people and injuring 121 others.
