Israel has killed 15,000 children in Gaza since October

The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education and Higher Education has said that more than 15,000 children have been martyred since the start of the Israeli occupation’s latest military offensive against the Gaza Strip last October. It noted that the majority of those killed by Israel are school and kindergarten students. Moreover, 64 students from schools in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, have also been killed in the past eight months.

In a statement issued on Tuesday marking the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, the ministry said that the children of Gaza are the main focus of this day in 2024, as they are the prime victims of the occupation’s ongoing attacks against the Palestinians. They are, it noted paying a heavy price for this aggression and its grave effects on them.

Moreover, the ministry explained that the Israeli occupation forces have destroyed schools and kindergartens. Families with children have been targeted specifically for forced displacement, killing, arrest and deprivation of food and health services, as well as other serious violations of international humanitarian law.

An estimate 620,000 school students have been deprived of education since October, and 88,000 have been unable to attend their universities, all which have been destroyed by Israel. Many young Palestinians suffer from psychological trauma and health issues.

The ministry called on international organisations, bodies, and institutions defending children and the right to education to put an end to the escalating violations and to stop the crimes committed by Israel against children and educational and academic staff in all governorates. It called on them to intervene urgently to stop the onslaught in Gaza, as well as the attacks by the occupation army and illegal settlers in the occupied West Bank.

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