The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education announced today that 16,802 students have been killed and 26,638 others injured in Gaza and the West Bank since the onset of Israel’s assault on October 7, 2023.
In a statement released Tuesday, the Ministry detailed that more than 16,664 students were killed in Gaza alone, with 25,728 others injured. In the West Bank, 138 students were killed and 910 wounded, with an additional 760 students arrested by Israeli forces.
The toll among educators is also severe: 926 teachers and administrative staff have been killed, and 4,452 injured across both territories. At least 199 staff members have been detained in the West Bank.
The Ministry reported extensive damage to the educational infrastructure. A total of 352 public schools were heavily damaged, with 111 completely destroyed. Additionally, 91 government schools and 89 UNRWA-run schools were bombed or vandalized. Higher education institutions were not spared 20 were severely affected, with 60 university buildings completely demolished. In the West Bank, 152 schools and 8 universities were stormed and damaged, including the destruction of perimeter walls in schools in Jenin, Tulkarm, and the villages of Bruqin and Kafr al-Dik near Salfit.
Currently, around 788,000 students in Gaza remain deprived of access to their schools and universities. For the second consecutive year, high school students in Gaza have been denied the opportunity to sit for their final exams.
Despite these dire conditions, the Ministry has launched 12 kindergartens for displaced children in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Qabatiya. Meanwhile, high school exams are underway in the West Bank—including Jerusalem—and in 37 countries abroad.
The Ministry also condemned Israel’s ongoing closure of six UNRWA-run schools in Jerusalem and surrounding areas, which have been shuttered since May 8.