UN says 162 school buildings directly hit in Gaza as Israeli attacks continue

Many Palestinian families take refuge under harsh conditions at a school affiliated to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) at the Daraj neighbourhood as the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza on February 6, 2024 [Dawoud Abo Alkas – Anadolu Agency]

A UN spokesman said on Tuesday that more than 160 school buildings have so far been hit in the Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports.

“Humanitarian colleagues working on education have analysed satellite images to assess damage to schools across Gaza.

“Their assessment found that 162 school buildings have been directly hit, representing nearly 30% of the total 563 school buildings in Gaza,” Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

At least 26 of these buildings have been destroyed, he added.

“Some 175,000 students and more than 6,500 teachers have had their schools directly hit in hostilities. At least 55% of schools in Gaza will require either full reconstruction or major rehabilitation,” Dujarric said.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since the 7 October Hamas attack, killing at least 28,340 people and injuring 67,984 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

READ: Israel plans to buy more than 200 armoured vehicles for Gaza border towns

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