Palestinian Education Ministry: Israeli Occupation Murders 16,607 Students, Injures Over 26,000 Others Since Beginning of Genocide
Occupied Jerusalem, June 17 (QNA) – The Palestinian Ministry of Education announced that, since the beginning of the Israeli genocide that the Israeli occupation has been committing against the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank in October 2023, the occupation murdered at least 16,607آ students and injured at least 26,271 others.
The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the number of student martyrs in the Gaza Strip has reached more than 16,470, while the number of injured has reached 25,374. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, 137 students were martyred, 897 were injured, and 754 others were arrested.
The ministry also reported that the Israeli occupation murdered 914 teachers and administrative staff, and injured 4,363 others, while more than 196 were arrested in the West Bank.
A total of 352 government schools suffered severe damage, including 111 that were completely destroyed, alongside 91 government schools and 89 UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) schools. In addition, 20 higher education institutions were severely damaged, and 60 university buildings were completely destroyed.
According to the ministry”s statement, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed and vandalized 152 schools and eight universities in the West Bank, destroying school walls in Jenin, Tulkarm, Burqin, and Kafr Al-Dik. Meanwhile, the occupation is depriving approximately 788,000 students in Gaza of education, and high school students in the Strip are being denied exams for the second consecutive year.
The ministry also pointed out that the Israeli occupation has continued to close six UNRWA schools in Occupied Jerusalem (Al-Quds) and its suburbs since May 8.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has continued its large-scale genocide and aggression against the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, murdering and injuring tens of thousands of people and causing a widespread destruction of residential neighborhoods and infrastructure, including educational institutions.
The Palestinian education sector is facing an unprecedented crisis, with schools and universities destroyed and hundreds of thousands of students deprived of their right to education. UN agencies are warning of disastrous consequences for the future of Palestinian generations. (QNA)
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