March 28 (App) in the United Nations An research conducted in collaboration with the UN claims that since October 7, 212 schools in the beleaguered enclave have suffered “direct hits” as a result of Israel’s ceaseless shelling of Gaza. The report released on Wednesday by UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and NGOs the Education Cluster and Save the Children details how attacks on school premises have increased by almost nine percent since mid-February, with satellite imagery pointing to at least 53 schools that have been “totally destroyed” since the conflict erupted on October 7, 2023.
The authors of the report stated that the “intense Israeli bombardment from air, land, and sea across much of the Gaza Strip” has exacerbated the already grave humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the “high trend of attacks on school facilities.”
165 of the 212 schools in Gaza that were directly struck are located in locations where the Israeli military has ordered people to evacuate. There are 563 school buildings total. This data shows that 42 schools in North Gaza governorate, 94 in Gaza governorate, 14 in the Middle Area governorate, and 62 in the southern Khan Younis governorate were directly targeted. North Gaza governorate is the most severely affected area to date, with 86.2% of school buildings either directly hit or damaged. According to the report, since October 7th, government buildings that were attacked by Israeli shelling or during the ground operation have also been affected, accounting for 57% of the school premises managed by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
After the UN-partnered study was released on Wednesday, UNRWA stated, “No education is happening in Gaza at all for nearly six months.” The research indicated that more than 625,00 kids and 22,000 teachers were enrolled in school before October 7. The Israeli Security Forces (ISF) have been using schools for military purposes “since the beginning of the escalation,” according to additional data drawn from satellite photography and other sources.
Included in this are “many alarming reports, images, and videos demonstrating that schools are being used for military operations by ISF, including use as military bases, detention facilities, and interrogation centers.” The report’s satellite images also displayed military tanks, their tracks, and holes left by February’s shelling on school grounds. The UN-backed study further mentioned that since the escalation on October 7, more than 320 school facilities had been used as shelters by displaced individuals. 188 of these facilities have either been damaged (98) or directly hit (90).
According to the report’s authors, at least 67% of Gaza’s schools “will either need full reconstruction or major rehabilitation work to be functional again” once the fighting ends.