Escalating Violence in Gaza and West Bank Disrupts Education and Claims Hundreds of Lives
Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank continue to cause widespread devastation, killing hundreds, displacing tens of thousands, and closing schools, leaving thousands of Palestinian children without safe access to education.
Intensified Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and military operations in the West Bank have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Palestinian territories Arab News reported. On Sunday, August 31, Palestinian journalist Islam Abed, a reporter for Al-Quds Today TV, was killed alongside her husband and children in an airstrike targeting their Gaza City apartment. Her death marks the 247th journalist killed in Gaza since the escalation of the conflict on October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Media Office, which condemned the strike as a deliberate attack on media personnel.
The ongoing conflict has led to catastrophic civilian casualties. Nearly 63,500 Palestinians, mainly women and children, have been killed, with over 159,490 injured, while Israel has reported approximately 1,200 deaths and continues to hold more than 250 hostages. The Gaza Ministry of Health reports worsening famine conditions, including nine hunger-related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 348 since the International Committee of the Red Cross declared a famine on August 22, 2025.
In the West Bank, the conflict has severely disrupted education. Six UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) schools in occupied East Jerusalem remain closed following an Israeli ban issued in May, a first in the agency’s history. Approximately 46,000 Palestinian refugee children returned to UNRWA schools in other West Bank areas, while 800 pupils affected by the closures in Jerusalem had to enroll in alternative institutions. First-year classes welcomed 5,000 students on Monday.
Military operations in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps have forced the closure of 10 additional UNRWA schools, leaving over 4,000 children learning remotely or in temporary spaces. Since January, Israeli operations have displaced at least 30,000 individuals in the northern West Bank, roughly a third of whom are children. UNRWA emphasized the unprecedented disruption to education caused by repeated raids, school vandalism, and ongoing violence, reaffirming its commitment to ensuring children’s right to education in safe and dignified environments.
Humanitarian groups and UN agencies continue to call for immediate action to protect civilians, restore access to education, and address the growing famine and displacement crises amid the protracted violence.
In an effort of solidarity, a Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, has joined the “Steadfast Fleet” on a mission to deliver humanitarian aid and support to the people of Gaza amid the ongoing blockade and crisis.
According to Radio Farda, the maritime convoy departed from Barcelona, Spain, carrying a group of international human rights activists and artists. Brazilian activist Tiago Avila described the initiative as the largest maritime solidarity effort in history.
The French news agency AFP reported that over the next five days, dozens of additional ships from Tunisia and other Mediterranean ports are expected to join the convoy, alongside global demonstrations in more than 40 countries.
Meanwhile, a group of 131 Israeli journalists have signed a petition demanding an immediate end to Israel’s targeting of Palestinian reporters in Gaza and calling for an independent investigation into the killings of media workers during the war.
The petition, titled “Journalists Call to End the War,” condemned a systematic assault on press freedom in Gaza.
