Gaza death toll surpasses 52,400 as Israeli strikes continue
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Gaza’s education system faces collapse as thousands of students and teachers are killed or injured and hundreds of schools and universities lie in ruins.
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Palestinians walk in the rubble after an Israeli army airstrike in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, April 28, 2025 (AP)
Hospitals in the Gaza Strip received 35 martyrs and 109 injuries in 24 hours, as the toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression continues to rise. Civil defense and ambulance teams report that numerous victims remain trapped under rubble and in the streets, unreachable due to continued bombardment and destroyed infrastructure.
Since the beginning of the genocide on October 7, 2023, the total number of martyrs has reached 52,400, with 118,014 people injured. From March 18, 2025, alone, 2,308 martyrs and 5,973 injuries have been documented.
Ongoing strikes across central and southern Gaza
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that an Israeli airstrike targeted a home near al-Sawarha School, southwest of the al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, leaving one martyr and several others missing. The number of martyrs later rose to six following further attacks on the same area early this morning.
In southern Gaza, Israeli warplanes bombed farmland near tents sheltering forcibly displaced families in Al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis, according to our correspondent. Furthermore, the Qizan al-Najjar area in southern Khan Younis was also struck by artillery shelling.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza confirmed that airstrikes directly targeted the vicinity of civilian tents in al-Mawasi. Separate attacks were also reported in Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Strip.
Concurrently, an Israeli drone strike killed one martyr on Al-Nazzaz Street in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City. Another strike in Qizan Abu Rishwan, south of Khan Younis, resulted in one martyr and two injuries.
Additionally, several civilians were wounded in an airstrike targeting a tent along Al-Eshreen Street in al-Nuseirat refugee camp.
UNRWA maintains critical WASH services in Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) continues to provide vital Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services across the Gaza Strip, despite the devastating impact of the ongoing Israeli aggression.
Since October 2023, UNRWA has been collecting approximately 220 tons of solid waste daily and supplying thousands of displaced and vulnerable residents with clean water, helping to mitigate the risk of disease outbreaks in overcrowded shelters and camps.
In #Gaza, UNRWA is one of the largest providers of WASH: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene services.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) April 30, 2025
Since October 2023, UNRWA has collected 220 tons of solid waste daily and supplied thousands of people with water.#UNRWAworks pic.twitter.com/X8ycYhAP20
The agency remains one of the largest WASH service providers in Gaza, operating under severe constraints and amid escalating humanitarian needs.
Read next: Gaza Strip faces worsening health crisis as waste piles threaten lives
Over 14,700 students killed as education system collapses under Israeli war
The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced on Tuesday that 14,784 students have been killed and 24,766 have been injured since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza and the occupied West Bank on October 7, 2023.
According to the ministry, the vast majority of casualties,14,649 of the killed and 23,936 of the wounded, were in the Gaza Strip. In addition, 724 students have been detained by Israeli occupation forces. The ministry also reported the killing of 880 teachers and school administrators, with nearly all casualties occurring in Gaza.
The scale of destruction has severely crippled the education sector. At least 111 schools have been completely destroyed, and another 352 public schools have sustained heavy damage. Among those hit were 91 public schools and 89 schools run by UNRWA.
Furthermore, higher education institutions have also suffered, with 20 severely damaged and 60 university buildings entirely destroyed. Several schools and eight universities in the occupied West Bank have also been vandalized or targeted.
The ministry said that 788,000 students in Gaza have been unable to attend school or university due to the ongoing Israeli aggression. It also warned that the majority of students are experiencing psychological trauma and severe health issues as a result of the war.
