The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education reported that 12,820 students were martyred and 21,351 others injured since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the West Bank on Oct. 7, 2023.
In a statement, the Ministry said that that number of students martyred in Gaza since the beginning of the aggression reached more than 12,701, while 20,702 students have been injured. In the West Bank, 119 students have been martyred and 649 others injured. Additionally, 542 students were arrest. The Ministry also mentioned that 619 teachers and administrative staff have been martyred, 3,831 have been injured in Gaza and the West Bank, and more than 158 have been arrested in the West Bank.
The Ministry pointed out that in Gaza, 171 public schools have suffered severe damage, 77 schools have been completely destroyed, and 191 schools have been targeted by shelling and vandalism, including 65 schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Additionally, 20 higher education institutions have been severely damaged, 51 university buildings have been completely destroyed, and 57 buildings have been partially destroyed.
In the West Bank, 109 schools have been damaged, and 7 universities and colleges have been subjected to repeated Israeli incursions, vandalism, and the destruction.
The Ministry also confirmed that 788,000 students in Gaza are still deprived of access to education since the onset of the aggression. Furthermore, most students are suffering from psychological trauma and facing difficult health conditions.