War deters 600,000 Gaza students from joining new school year

The Palestinian Ministry of Education stated Monday that the Israeli occupation deprived more than 600,000 students in the Gaza Strip from continuing their education for the second year in a row amid the ongoing bloody war on the Strip since October 7.In line with the start of the new school year in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem (excluding the Gaza Strip), the Ministry said in a press statement that the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip led to the martyrdom of 10,000 students and the injury of 15,000 others, while 19,000 students were forcibly displaced from the Strip.The Ministry stated that the occupation deprived 39,000 students last year of high school exams as well as 58,000 children from joining first grade. About 400 teachers were martyred, and 90 % of the 307 government school buildings have been destroyed.With a full year approaching since the start of the aggression on Gaza, the killings and destruction keep on occurring while more than 600,000 students are deprived of their right to a free and safe education, the ministry expressed in the statement.The situation in the Gaza Strip "is no different" from the reality of education in Jerusalem, which is still under the pressure of the policies of imposing the occupation's identity and Judaization, the Palestinian Education Ministry added.Despite the wide-scale targeting, the ministry is moving with all hope towards protecting education and providing all opportunities for children in the Gaza Strip. The ministry is working on launching virtual schools as well as opening schools in the West Bank for students from Gaza.The ministry said that its determination leads it to provide as much education as possible even inside dilapidated tents.The Palestinian Education Ministry affirmed that the development process will continue and schools will be built in partnership with bodies and institutions. This difficult stage will be overcome with the determination of the loyal teachers, the support of parents and the commitment of students.