The Government Media Office in Gaza announced on Wednesday 3 September that the Israeli occupation continues to commit systematic crimes against education in the Gaza Strip, depriving more than 785,000 students and 25,000 teachers from starting the school year, in what can be described as educational and cultural genocide.

Gaza: the education system destroyed

The statement said that nearly 95% of schools in the Strip have suffered severe damage, with more than 90% of school buildings in need of major reconstruction or rehabilitation, after 662 buildings were directly hit, in addition to 116 other schools being classified as damaged.

A total of 163 educational institutions were completely destroyed, while 388 others were partially damaged. 70% of schools used as shelters for civilians were also damaged, with the governorates of North Gaza and Rafah being the most affected, with damage exceeding 95%.

The crimes were not limited to infrastructure, but also targeted the lives of students, teachers, and academic staff, with the attacks resulting in the deaths of 13,500 students, 830 teachers, and 193 scientists, academics, and researchers. The statement emphasized that this systematic targeting violates the Palestinian generations’ right to education and constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, the Geneva Conventions, and children’s rights.

The statement added that “depriving children of their schools is not limited to the loss of lessons, but robs them of security, hope, and the future,” noting that the ongoing destruction exacerbates the psychological and social conditions of students living amid rubble, hunger, and fear.

Urgent action needed

The media office called on the international community and humanitarian and human rights organizations to take immediate and urgent action to stop these crimes, hold the perpetrators accountable, and guarantee Palestinian children’s right to education, which is the cornerstone of building the future.

It emphasized that targeting education is targeting the future, and that the occupation’s continued deprivation of students from their schools:

will not erase the reality of the suffering of Palestinian generations, nor will it stop their will to learn and rise from the rubble.

Featured image via the Canary