DaysofPal- Adnan Abu Hasna, the media advisor for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), announced on Saturday that around 300,000 Palestinian students in the Gaza Strip have returned to their studies after a two-year halt caused by the Israeli devastating war on Gaza.
In a televised statement posted on UNRWA’s official page on the “X” platform, Abu Hasna said the agency had prepared a comprehensive plan to restore education following the prolonged disruption.
He explained that 10,000 students will attend classes in shelter centers, while the remaining students will continue learning online, supported by 8,000 teachers participating in the program.
He emphasized that keeping schools closed is no longer an option after the combined toll of war and the COVID-19 pandemic, which left thousands of children in Gaza unable to read or write.
Education in Gaza has been paralyzed since the Israeli occupation launched its genocidal assault on October 7, 2023, as most schools, both UNRWA and government-run, were either converted into shelters or destroyed.
According to data from the Palestinian Ministry of Education (as of September 16), the Israeli military has destroyed 172 government schools and bombed or damaged 118 others, along with over 100 UNRWA schools.
The same report states that during the war, 17,711 students were killed and 25,897 injured, while 763 education staff were killed and 3,189 were wounded.
Abu Hasna further revealed that Israeli occupation continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, despite UNRWA’s readiness to distribute food supplies and reopen 22 health clinics across the Strip.
He condemned the Israeli obstruction of aid delivery, saying that essential items, including shelter materials, blankets, winter clothing, and medicines, are being denied entry, deepening Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
Currently, 95% of Gaza’s population depends on aid after losing their sources of income.
Abu Hasna also warned that the situation is rapidly worsening, with hundreds of thousands of displaced people still living in the open after returning to Gaza City following the October 10 ceasefire agreement.
He urged immediate action to allow the entry of aid supplies before winter begins.
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