Gaza: Israel put 85% of schools out of service during the genocide

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the Gaza Strip said that the genocide committed by Israel over the course of more than 15 months caused 85 percent of schools to go out of service and interrupted education for two consecutive years.

The Director General of the Public Relations Unit at the Ministry, Ahmed Al-Najjar, added in a statement to Anadolu Agency that the genocide caused an unprecedented educational disaster in the sector.

He explained that higher education also suffered heavy losses, as the Israeli army killed about 1,200 students and 150 academics, while destroying 140 university facilities.

He stressed that the deliberate destruction of educational institutions in Gaza made restoring the educational process a major challenge.

According to statistics issued by the Government Media Office, Israel bombed 1,166 educational facilities over the course of more than 15 months, including 927 schools, universities, kindergartens and educational centers that were completely destroyed, in addition to the martyrdom of 12,800 students and 800 teachers and administrators.

Al-Najjar said that the ministry has developed an "emergency response plan, working in coordination with local and international agencies to find quick solutions."

He continued: "The plan includes completing the 2023/2024 academic year and launching the new year 2024/2025 with exceptional mechanisms, and holding a special session for high school students."

The plan also includes, according to Al-Najjar, “rehabilitating damaged schools, establishing temporary schools and educational tents, enhancing e-learning and home-schooling to compensate for academic loss, in addition to launching intensive psychological support programs for students and teachers.”

Al-Najjar called on human rights organizations to document the occupation's crimes against students and educational institutions in the Gaza Strip.

He called on the international community to provide urgent support to rebuild schools and educational institutions and ensure the resumption of studies as soon as possible.

The government media office in Gaza estimated the value of the damage and losses in the education sector due to the Israeli war at more than 2 billion dollars.

Between October 7, 2023 and January 19, 2025, Israel, with American support, committed genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 159,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 14,000 missing.

On January 19, a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel came into effect. It includes three stages, each lasting 42 days. During the first, negotiations will be held to start the second and third stages, with the mediation of Egypt and Qatar and the support of the United States.

Anatolia