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Over 17,000 school-age children killed in Gaza since start of Israel's military operation

According to the Palestinian Education and Higher Education Ministry, 928 teachers and staff of educational institutions were killed, about 4,500 were wounded in Gaza and the West Bank. Almost 200 teachers were arrested

CAIRO, July 8. /TASS/. Over 17,000 adolescents were killed by Israel’s bombings and airstrikes or died beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip since the start of the military operation in the blockaded enclave in the fall of 2023, the Palestinian Education and Higher Education Ministry said.

It said that since the beginning of hostilities to the present, "17,175 school-age children have been killed and 26,264 of their peers have been injured in the Gaza Strip." During the same period, 140 teenagers became victims of crackdowns by the Israeli military and police in the West Bank of the Jordan River, which is under the control of the Palestinian National Authority, and 927 were injured. Also, according to the ministry, 928 teachers and staff of educational institutions were killed, about 4,500 were wounded in Gaza and the West Bank. Almost 200 teachers were arrested.

During the raids in Gaza, Israel destroyed 118 schools and seriously damaged about 250 school buildings. In the West Bank, at least 150 schools and eight university faculties were subjected to unauthorized raids and pogroms by Israeli forces.

On May 18, the Israeli army began hostilities in the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip as part of its large-scale ground operation Gideon’s Chariots. Its stated goal is the complete defeat of Hamas and the release of all Israeli hostages held in the enclave. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that after the operation, the army plans to take control of the entire Gaza Strip.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the total number of victims of Israeli aggression from October 7, 2023 to date has exceeded 57,500, and more than 136,500 Palestinians have been injured.