Israeli Offensive Leaves Over 18,000 Students Dead, Crippling Palestinian Education System

Israeli Offensive Leaves Over 18,000 Students Dead, Crippling Palestinian Education System
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Over 18,000 Palestinian students and nearly 1,000 educators have been killed amid ongoing conflict, severely impacting the education sector in Gaza and the West Bank. UNRWA warns of unprecedented challenges to education due to school destruction, displacement, and continued military operations.

More details in this report:
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Thousands of Palestinian students and educators have been killed or injured since the start of the Israeli military campaign following the October 7 attacks, as widespread destruction continues to impact Gaza and the West Bank, Arab News reported.

According to figures released Tuesday by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, 18,651 students have been killed and 29,114 injured—most of them in Gaza, where over 18,500 students lost their lives and more than 28,000 were wounded. In the West Bank, 143 student deaths have been recorded, with 972 injured and 792 detained.

The toll extends to educational staff, with 972 teachers and administrators reported killed and 4,538 injured. In the West Bank, an additional 199 staff members have been detained.

The damage to educational infrastructure has been severe. In Gaza, 172 government schools and 63 university buildings have been completely destroyed, while 118 government schools and over 100 facilities operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been bombed or vandalized. Twenty-five schools have been removed from the education registry. In the West Bank, 152 schools were damaged and eight higher education institutions were raided multiple times.

Despite the destruction, education efforts persist. About 46,000 Palestinian refugee children returned to UNRWA schools in the West Bank this week, though around 800 students from still-closed Jerusalem schools have been relocated to other institutions. UNRWA also welcomed 5,000 first-grade students across its network. However, 10 UNRWA schools in refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams remain closed due to ongoing military operations, impacting over 4,000 children who now attend classes remotely or in temporary facilities.

UNRWA has raised concerns about unprecedented threats to Palestinian children’s right to education, pointing to frequent raids, school damage, and the psychological effects of displacement. At least 30,000 people have been displaced in the northern West Bank this year—one-third of them children—further disrupting education access.