DaysofPal – The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced on Tuesday staggering figures reflecting the devastating impact of Israel’s ongoing assault on the education sector in both the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023.
According to the ministry’s statement, a total of 18,243 students have been killed and 31,643 injured during this period. In Gaza alone, 17,175 students were killed, and 26,264 were injured. In the West Bank, Israeli forces have killed 140 students, injured 927, and arrested 768 others.
The toll among educational staff has also been severe: 928 teachers and administrators have been killed, 4,452 injured, and over 199 arrested in the West Bank.
Educational infrastructure has suffered massive destruction. In Gaza, 252 public schools have been severely damaged, of which 118 were completely destroyed. Additionally, 91 public schools and 91 UNRWA-run schools have been bombed or vandalized. University facilities have not been spared—60 university buildings have been entirely destroyed in Gaza.
In the West Bank, 152 schools and 8 universities and colleges have been raided or vandalized by Israeli forces. Fences and perimeters of educational institutions in Jenin, Tulkarem, Salfit, and Tubas were also destroyed.
Given the dire security conditions, university education has moved entirely online. The ministry highlighted a particularly egregious incident where the Bedouin Ka’abneh School in Jericho was forcibly evacuated after Israeli forces assaulted the premises and confiscated its contents.
The statement concluded with a grim note: 25 schools, along with their student and teacher populations, have been permanently removed from the educational registry due to total destruction. The ministry emphasized that these acts amount to a deliberate targeting of future generations and constitute a blatant violation of international law and humanitarian norms.
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