The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education has revealed the catastrophic toll of Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Gaza and the West Bank, announcing that 18,489 students have been martyred and 28,854 injured since October 7.

The figures underscore the systematic destruction of Palestine’s education sector, which has been turned into a primary target of the occupation’s relentless assault.

According to the ministry’s statement on Tuesday, the overwhelming majority of the victims were children and youth in the Gaza Strip, where more than 18,346 students have been killed and 27,884 others wounded in the past ten months. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces have killed 143 students, injured 970, and detained 740, reflecting the regime’s brutal campaign against Palestinian children on both fronts.

The report further highlighted the targeting of educators and administrators. Since the start of the aggression, 970 teachers and school staff have been killed, 4,533 have been injured, and more than 199 were arrested in the West Bank. This widespread assault on education workers illustrates what Palestinian officials describe as Israel’s deliberate policy of silencing Palestinian knowledge and identity.

The destruction of educational infrastructure has been equally devastating. In Gaza alone, 160 government schools and 63 university buildings were completely obliterated. Another 118 government schools and 93 UNRWA schools were bombed or vandalized, while 25 schools along with their students and teachers were wiped from the official registry due to total destruction.

The occupation’s crimes have not spared the West Bank either, where 152 schools were vandalized and at least eight universities and colleges subjected to repeated raids and acts of sabotage. Forced by the circumstances, many universities have shifted to online classes to continue the academic year under siege and occupation.

The ministry condemned Israel’s actions as part of a broader genocidal war against the Palestinian people, where schools, universities, and learning institutions are being erased to deprive future generations of their right to education and development. International observers have warned that the near-total collapse of Gaza’s education system risks producing a “lost generation” of Palestinian children.

Despite this destruction, Palestinian resilience continues. Teachers, students, and families across Gaza and the West Bank are finding ways to sustain learning and preserve knowledge under bombardment, determined to resist Israel’s attempt to erase Palestinian identity. (ILKHA)