Gaza: Around 16,600 Palestinian students have been killed and 26,271 injured since the start of the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
According to Jordan News Agency, in a statement issued Tuesday, the Ministry reported that over 16,470 students have been killed and 25,374 injured in Gaza alone. In the West Bank, 137 students were killed and 897 injured, while 754 have been detained.
The Ministry also stated that 914 teachers and administrative staff have been killed and 4,363 injured across Gaza and the West Bank, with more than 196 staff members arrested in the West Bank.
The statement highlighted that 352 public schools have suffered severe damage due to the ongoing aggression, including 111 schools that were completely destroyed. An additional 91 public schools and 89 schools affiliated with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) were subjected to bombardment and vandalism.
Twenty higher education institutions sustained significant damage, with 60 university buildings completely destroyed. In the West Bank, 152 schools and 8 universities were stormed and vandalized, and the fences of several schools in Jenin, Tulkarm, and the towns of Bruqin and Kafr ad-Dik west of Salfit were demolished.
The Ministry emphasized that 788,000 students in Gaza remain unable to attend schools and universities since the start of the assault. For the second consecutive year, high school students in Gaza are being denied the opportunity to take their final exams, while preparations are ongoing to administer the exams in the West Bank starting Saturday, June 21.
The Ministry further noted that six UNRWA schools in Jerusalem and its surrounding areas have remained closed since May 8 due to Israeli-imposed closures.