The Palestinian Ministry of Education has released devastating figures highlighting the toll of Israel’s military campaign on the education sector: over 16,470 students killed and 25,374 injured in Gaza alone. In the occupied West Bank, 137 students have been killed, 897 injured, and 754 detained by Israeli forces.

The violence has extended to teachers and staff, with 914 educators killed and 4,363 injured across both territories. 196 teachers have been arrested in the West Bank.

The Ministry reports that at least 352 public schools have been severely damaged, 111 of them completely destroyed. Additionally, 91 schools and 89 UNRWA-run institutions have been bombed or vandalized.

At the university level, 20 institutions have suffered major damage and 60 university buildings have been destroyed. In the West Bank, 152 schools and 8 universities have been raided or vandalized.

A recent UN Commission of Inquiry found that over 90% of Gaza’s schools and universities have been damaged or destroyed, calling it a “concerted campaign to obliterate Palestinian life”. The report accuses Israeli forces of war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, citing deliberate attacks on educational and cultural sites.

According to the Ministry, 788,000 students in Gaza remain out of school, with the education system effectively paralyzed. For the second consecutive year, secondary students in Gaza will be unable to sit for final exams.

Meanwhile, preparations for exams in the West Bank continue, despite the ongoing closures of six UNRWA schools in Jerusalem, which have been shut since May 8, 2025.

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