The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor noted in a report on Saturday that the Israeli occupation forces have murdered academic personnel in the hundreds, and thousands of students in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.

The report detailed that "94 university professors, along with hundreds of teachers and thousands of students," have been killed during the Israeli "genocidal war against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip."

Professors and Universities

Among those who have been targeted, there are 17 individuals with professor degrees, 59 with doctoral degrees, and 18 with master's degrees, as per the report, however, it was also stressed that challenges in documentation meant there could be additional academics, especially those with advanced degrees, that have been killed whose deaths remain unrecorded, officially.

The Geneva-based human rights organization also noted that there is no justification or clear motive behind the targeting of these individuals.

Distinguished author for #Gaza Writes Back and academic Refaat al-Araeer was assassinated today in an Israeli strike, the strike murdered his family as well.

As an honor to his blessed soul allow us to share the heartfelt poem he wrote and posted on November 1st.

If I must die,… pic.twitter.com/o6gJ0mmT1c

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 7, 2023

The targeted academics, who were engaged in a variety of academic fields, played pivotal roles in advancing research at Gaza Strip universities. The rights group suggested that "Israel" intentionally aimed to undermine every aspect of life in Gaza, emphasizing that this was evident in its systematic destruction of cultural institutions, including historically significant ones.

During the more than 100-day attack, Israeli occupation forces destroyed all of Gaza's universities in stages. The initial bombings targeted the Islamic and Al-Azhar universities, and subsequent assaults were aimed at other universities. For instance, Al-Israa University in southern Gaza was totally destroyed after initially being repurposed as military barracks in service of the Israeli occupation forces.

A video released by Israeli media on January 17th captured the explosion at Al-Israa University, which occurred 70 days after the Israeli occupation had converted it into a barracks, and later into a temporary detention facility.

Students in the Strip 

Moreover, according to Euro-Med's report, the ongoing genocide in the Strip has tragically led to the deaths of hundreds of university students. The destruction of universities and the loss of academics and students are expected to pose significant challenges for resuming academic life once the crisis ends, potentially taking years to recover.

The Palestinian Ministry of Education reported earlier this week that 4,327 students have been killed since October 7, with 7,819 others injured. Additionally, 231 teachers and administrators have been murdered, with 756 injured during attacks. Furthermore, 281 state-run schools and 65 UNRWA-run schools in the Gaza Strip have been either fully or partially destroyed due to the Israeli bombardment and ground incursions.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression on #Gaza and the #WestBank back in October 7, a total of 4,368 students have been brutally murdered and 8,101 others have been severely injured by the Israeli occupation forces, the Ministry of Education revealed.

The Ministry further… pic.twitter.com/DXHmiWtU0c

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 17, 2024

The educational infrastructure has suffered immensely, with 90% of state-run schools experiencing direct or indirect damage. Approximately 29% of school buildings are currently out of service, either due to their complete demolition or severe damage. To address the urgent need for shelter, due to forced displacement caused by the occupation, 133 other schools are now serving as shelter centers in the Gaza Strip.

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