The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian Territories informed reporters yesterday that Israeli attacks on colleges and universities in the Gaza Strip are “systematic.”
Andrea de Domenico, the head of UN OCHA in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated: “Education is the hope for the future… education is fundamental to build peace.”
According to earlier reports from the UN office, 392 schools (or 79% of all the schools in Gaza) have sustained damage, with 141 of those being severely damaged or destroyed. Additionally, approximately 92% of all school buildings in Gaza are being used as shelters for displaced people.
He also brought attention to the alarming hospital attacks, saying that UN officials arrived to the Al-Shifa Medical Complex following an Israeli strike and saw a “scene of terror.”
De Domenico stated that despite UN efforts, the “reality is that there is very little that we can bring inside Gaza to tackle displacement and deal with famine,” pointing out that 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are battling to survive.
Since October 7th, the Israeli occupation force has persisted in its onslaught against the Gaza Strip with the backing of the United States and Europe. As a result of its bombing campaign, the occupation has killed over 33,899 Palestinians and injured 76,664 others, the great majority of whom are women and children.