Bombing Gaza's educational, cultural sites another act of genocide
3 Min Read
Israeli actions constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
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Entire streets in Gaza wiped out by Israeli air raids (AP)
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor asserted in a new report that the deliberate and extensive targeting of educational institutions and cultural assets in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli occupation forces is a further indication of the ongoing genocide it has been committing since October 7, 2023.
According to the human rights organization, the recent military attacks in Gaza have severely disrupted the educational process in all universities and colleges. They also resulted in the killing of three university presidents and over 95 university deans and professors, with 68 of them holding professor’s degrees. Additionally, 88,000 students are unable to pursue their university education, and 555 students granted international scholarships cannot travel abroad due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.
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.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 7, 2023
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
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.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 17, 2024
The Ministry further… pic.twitter.com/DXHmiWtU0c
Euro-Med Monitor further revealed that five out of six universities in Gaza have been either completely or partially destroyed, with three universities completely razed, as indicated by the first census assessing the severity of destruction caused by the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Strip.
How the Islamic University of Gaza used to look and how it looks now due to Israeli bombing.
— Khalissee (@Kahlissee) February 14, 2024
It witnessed thousands of success stories of students celebrating their graduation. Their dreams are over in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/TukyRK3nSv
Israeli actions align with policies of rendering Gaza uninhabitable
On February 6, IOF targeted Al-Aqsa University in Gaza City, causing significant damage, with two buildings destroyed. Earlier, Al-Israa University had been completely demolished, as confirmed by Euro-Med Monitor, which noted that the IOF blew up all of Al-Israa University's buildings and facilities on January 17, more than two months after converting the school into military barracks and a detention center.
The Chris Hedges Report with Dr. Ahmed Alhussaina, vice president of Israa University in Gaza, on Israel's demolition of every university, along with hundreds of schools and cultural centers, in Gaza., by @ChrisLynnHedges https://t.co/hKGff2ilEC pic.twitter.com/QP5kjCcbbq
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) February 12, 2024
On October 9, the Israeli army launched multiple air raids on Al-Rabat College in Gaza City, resulting in the complete destruction of its headquarters, as highlighted by Euro-Med Monitor. The rights group emphasized that, according to estimates from the International Monetary Fund, 70% of colleges and universities in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, causing a loss of $720 million for the education sector in Gaza.
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated that Israeli actions constitute war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. These crimes include the deliberate and widespread destruction of buildings intended for educational, artistic, scientific, and religious purposes, as well as historical monuments.
Israeli actions align with its public policies of making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and expelling its Palestinian residents, as per the report. By creating a coercive environment lacking basic services and necessities for survival, and destroying physical safety and psychological stability, "Israel" aims to force the inhabitants of the Strip out, the report concluded.
