For the second year running, nearly 785,000 children and young people in Gaza are being denied their fundamental right to education due to relentless Israeli military attacks. The educational sector in the Gaza Strip is facing unprecedented devastation, threatening to extinguish the future of an entire generation.

Dr Khaled Abu Al-Nada, Gaza’s Deputy Minister of Education, described the situation as the darkest chapter in the territory’s history, where schools, universities, students, and educators alike have become deliberate targets. This systematic destruction aims not only to cripple infrastructure but to erase Palestinian identity by depriving youth of knowledge and hope.

Basic education has been shattered for 600,000 pupils, with tens of thousands in secondary and higher education left without access to learning. Nearly all school buildings have suffered damage, with 89% rendered partially or completely unusable. Many schools have been turned into shelters for displaced families, which remain vulnerable to ongoing bombardment. University campuses have also been hit hard, including the recent bombing of the Islamic University branch in Khan Younis.

The human cost is staggering. Thousands of students, teachers, and academics have lost their lives in these attacks, devastating Gaza’s educational community. Despite this, the Ministry has strived to continue teaching through field schools and online platforms, providing psychological support and adapting emergency education programmes in coordination with local and international partners.

However, the persistent violence makes critical exams impossible and risks leaving entire cohorts without any schooling for years. More than 350,000 young people currently have no access to education at all, risking a catastrophic setback to Gaza’s progress in literacy and school attendance.

The Ministry of Education urgently calls on the international community, and Arab and Islamic nations in particular, to end the aggression, rebuild schools, and support Gaza’s students and educators. Protecting education in Gaza is not just a matter of policy — it is a vital humanitarian duty, essential to preserving the future of Palestine.