12,943 Palestinian Students Killed Since Israel's October 2023 Aggression

Israeli military operations in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian Ministry of Education revealed that at least 12,943 students were killed and 21,681 others injured as a result of Israel's latest aggression in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The latest conflict in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave, broke out after a militant group led by Hamas attacked Israel's southern region on October 7, 2023, leaving about 1,200 people dead and 250 others held hostage, according to Israeli calculations.

It sparked an Israeli campaign in the Gaza Strip by carrying out blockades, airstrikes, and ground operations carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It also triggers an increase in violence in the West Bank.

The Ministry of Education said in a statement that the number of students killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of aggression reached more than 12,790 and 21,026 students were injured, while 120 students were martyred in the West Bank and 655 others were injured, quoted from WAFA December 31.

Furthermore, the ministry indicated that about 630 teachers and administrators were martyred, while 3,865 were injured in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and more than 158 were arrested in the West Bank.

The ministry also mentioned about 425 government schools, universities and buildings, as well as 65 affiliated with the United Nations Aid and Work Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), were bombed and damaged in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, 109 schools and seven universities in the West Bank were invaded and damaged.

The Ministry of Education confirmed that around 788,000 students in the Gaza Strip were still unable to attend school and study since the beginning of the aggression, while most students suffered psychological trauma and faced difficult health conditions.