September 2, 2025 | 05:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children are unable to start the new school year on Monday, September 1, 2025, after Israel raided and destroyed schools in the West Bank and Gaza.
Over 660,000 children in the Gaza Strip have lost the opportunity to attend school in the last three years as almost all infrastructure has been destroyed by Israeli forces. This was revealed by the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, on Monday, as reported by The National.
"Gaza is in ruins. So is its education system. The Israeli Forces have destroyed or damaged most schools & education facilities in Gaza. Today, instead of going back to school, like most children around the world, around 660,000 girls and boys in Gaza will be sifting through the rubble – desperate, hungry, traumatised and mostly bereaved," he said at X.
Lazzarini once again called for a ceasefire in the region, stating that it is the only way forward "to reverse the famine & the “Scholasticide” hitting the children of Gaza."
"The longer they stay out of school with their trauma, the higher the risk they become a lost generation, sowing the seeds for more hatred & violence."
Last month, UNRWA reported that two of its schools in the Gaza city area were directly hit by Israeli air strikes, while Israel sought to capture the city in a new offensive.
"The last time I went to school, I was in third grade. I had a home, I had a school, and I had friends,” said Leen, one of UNRWA's students, as quoted by the agency.
“Now, I am in fifth grade, I lost my home, I lost my school, and I lost everything, but I will not lose knowledge, because I really love to study.”
In August, UNRWA, citing the UN Satellite Center (UNOSAT), said that 97 percent of school buildings in Gaza were damaged. Almost 92 percent of the buildings, 518 out of 564, require total reconstruction or major repair to become functional again.
Since October 7, 2023, a total of 432 school buildings have been targeted, according to the report.
The humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip has worsened after Israel refused to cooperate with UNRWA, which has been responsible for providing assistance to the Palestinian people for decades.
Hundreds of UNRWA distribution centers have been closed and replaced by four distribution centers managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) backed by the United States and Israel.
To date, Israeli forces still frequently fire at Palestinian aid seekers queuing for humanitarian aid.
In the West Bank, around 46,000 Palestinian refugee children started the new school year at UNRWA schools, reported the Wafa news agency. However, many are believed to have dropped out of school after Israel raided six schools in East Jerusalem in May.
Another 4,000 children are estimated to have dropped out of school following Israel's operation in the West Bank, known as Operation Iron Wall, which began in January. Israel also has advanced plans to transfer children in UNRWA schools to a curriculum approved by Israel.
Israel accuses UNRWA of bias and claims that Hamas has used its schools for military activities. Lazzarini stated that his organization is the only one capable of managing schools in the absence of a functioning Palestinian state.
A conference held by France and Saudi Arabia this month aims to promote the establishment of a Palestinian state, even though the U.S. hindered preparations last week by refusing visas for Palestinian officials.
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