Over 15,000 Palestinian children of school age were killed or disappeared during the more than 15-month-long Israeli occupation of Gaza, which also targeted 95% of schools and educational facilities.
According to preliminary data by the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Education, over 15,000 school-age children have been killed or gone missing, over 800 education sector employees have been killed, and 50,000 male and female students have been injured.
In a statement, the Ministry further stated that the horrifying number of fatalities is comparable to the genocide of human elements, students, and staff in over 30 schools, demonstrating the scope of the crimes against children and school personnel.
It explained that 1,200 male and female students who were enrolled in higher education institutions were killed as a result of the extermination, along with over 150 scientists, academics, and employees of those institutions, and hundreds more who suffered various injuries and disabilities.
According to the ministry, 85 percent of school and educational buildings were rendered totally or partially inoperable as a result of their destruction, and 95 percent of them sustained direct damage.
According to the report, over 140 academic and administrative facilities, including equipment, devices, labs, clinics, and libraries, were destroyed by the Israeli occupation army.
Over $3 billion was the ministry’s estimate of the education sector’s losses.
It described how thousands of kids were subjected to startling events and previously unheard-of psychological strains, resulting in the development of trauma and psychological symptoms that call for specialised treatments.
While depriving children of their fundamental right to education and specifically targeting them shows a blatant disregard for international agreements, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandates the protection of children during times of armed conflict, the occupation’s violations of Gaza’s educational system, particularly targeting children and educational institutions, amount to crimes that amount to genocide and grave violations of international humanitarian law.
The international community and human rights organisations must act quickly to address this tragic situation in order to hold those responsible for these crimes accountable, give Palestinian children the protection they need, and ensure their fundamental rights.
International organisations and supporting countries must also fulfil their humanitarian duties to the Gaza Strip by aiding in the reconstruction of the educational system and helping victims recover from the devastating physical and psychological effects.
