The Palestinian Ministry of Education has reported that more than 16,000 students have been killed and over 26,000 injured in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the start of the genocidal war launched by the Israeli occupation on October 7, 2023.
In Gaza alone, 15,553 school students have been killed and 23,411 injured. In the West Bank, 103 students have been killed, over 691 injured, and 361 arrested. Additionally, 1,111 university students have been killed in Gaza and 2,317 injured, while the West Bank recorded the killing of 35 university students, injury of 219, and arrest of 399.
These figures highlight the widening scope of the crime to include children and youth, reflecting a systematic targeting of the future of Palestinian society.
The attacks have not stopped at students. Educational staff have also been targeted, with 701 teachers killed and 3,015 injured in Gaza, and 4 teachers killed, 21 injured, and 182 arrested in the West Bank. Universities have also been affected, with 221 university staff members killed and 1,416 injured in Gaza.
The aggression has destroyed 118 schools in Gaza, severely damaged 252 others, bombed 93 UNRWA-run schools, and demolished over 60 university buildings. In the West Bank, 8 universities have been raided and 152 schools vandalized.
These figures make clear that what is taking place is not merely a war, but an organized genocide targeting the entire Palestinian society—destroying educational infrastructure and striking children in their formative years, in blatant violation of international law and the Geneva Conventions, amid a complete absence of accountability.
