By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

“Education cannot be taken away. Children and their learning must be protected, always.” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General

Palestinian students in the occupied West Bank began their new school year on Monday, while more than 650,000 students in the Gaza Strip face a second consecutive year without attending school amid Israel’s ongoing military onslaught.

In a statement, the Palestinian Education Ministry said a total of 2,459 government, private, and United Nations-run schools welcomed more than 806,360 students in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The Ministry said the school year in Gaza, however, remains suspended due to Israel’s ongoing offensive that began on October 7 last year.

More than 10,000 students have been killed in Gaza and 15,000 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks, with 19,000 students having fled their areas, according to the Ministry.

Over 26 Thousand Students Killed and Injured – Ministry of Health Announces

At least 400 teachers were also killed in Gaza, and 90% of school buildings damaged, it said, adding that 39,000 Gaza students were unable to take their high school exams, and 58,000 children denied their starting first grade.

70% of Schools Bombed

The majority of the schools run by UNRWA (about 200) in the Gaza Strip were turned into shelters for the displaced people, and 70% of them were bombed, some of which were completely destroyed, while others were severely damaged, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

#WestBank #education #Jenin pic.twitter.com/jX5aUZwqjM

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) September 8, 2024

According to UNRWA, four out of every five school buildings in Gaza were directly hit or damaged.

UNRWA’s Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said the school year in the West Bank “comes after nearly 10 days of violence and destruction.”

He said 6,000 girls and boys of school age have been directly affected between Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur al-Shams and Fara’a refugee camps.

“The physical and psychological damage caused by the latest Israeli military operation and activities of Palestinian armed groups will take a long time to overcome,” Lazzarini stated on X.

Deadliest Week

The UNRWA chief said the agency’s teams are working so that all children go back to school.

“Education cannot be taken away. Children and their learning must be protected, always,” he emphasized.

Deadliest Week for Palestinians in West Bank – UNRWA Warns of Increased Violence

The Israeli occupation forces killed at least 39 Palestinians, including 21 from Jenin, eight from Tulkarm, seven from Tubas, and three from Hebron (Al-Khalil), since the start of its large-scale offensive in the West Bank on August 28.

The military escalation brought the death toll in the West Bank since October 7 of last year to 699, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

(PC, Anadolu)