DaysofPal – Israel has systematically destroyed Gaza’s education system and more than half of its religious and cultural sites as part of what UN investigators describe as a “relentless assault” on Palestinian life, according to a damning new report released today by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.
The commission’s chair, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, warned that the evidence points to a “concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life in Gaza.”
“Israel’s targeting of the educational, cultural, and religious life of the Palestinian people will harm the present generations and generations to come, hindering their right to self-determination,” said Pillay.
The report details the extensive destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure since October 2023, concluding that Israeli forces have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the crime of extermination.
Among the most severe findings is the deliberate targeting and destruction of the vast majority of Gaza’s educational institutions. Over 90 percent of school and university buildings have been damaged or destroyed, and more than 658,000 children have been deprived of education for nearly 20 months.
The commission found that Israeli forces used airstrikes, shelling, burning, and controlled demolitions against these facilities. In several documented cases, Israeli soldiers filmed themselves mocking Palestinian education before destroying schools and universities. “Such acts,” the report states, “indicate an intent to destroy these facilities to curtail Palestinians’ access to education in the long term.”
The targeting of civilians sheltering in schools and religious sites was deemed to constitute extermination, a crime against humanity under international law.
The report also revealed that Israeli forces repurposed educational facilities for military use, including transforming part of the Al-Azhar University’s Al-Mughraqa campus into a synagogue for troops. While the commission documented one instance of Hamas using a school for military purposes, it emphasized that Israeli violations were systematic and on a far larger scale.
On the destruction of Gaza’s heritage, the commission found that more than half of all religious and cultural sites were damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks. These included prominent mosques, churches, and historic landmarks. “All ten religious and cultural sites investigated by the Commission constituted civilian objects at the time of attack,” the report stated, noting that no legitimate military need justified their targeting.
“Attacks on cultural and religious sites have deeply impacted intangible culture, such as religious and cultural practices, memories, and history,” said Pillay. “The targeting and destruction of heritage sites… erode Palestinians’ historical ties to the land and weaken their collective identity.”
The report also condemned Israeli conduct in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, where increased military operations, settler violence, and restrictions on worship have severely undermined Palestinian educational and religious life. Israeli authorities have also harassed or dismissed Palestinian and Israeli educators who expressed solidarity with Gaza.
In its recommendations, the commission urged Israel to end all attacks on educational, religious, and cultural institutions, immediately halt settlement activities, and comply fully with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice.
The commission also called on Palestinian authorities, including those in Gaza, to protect heritage sites and cease any military use of civilian infrastructure.
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