The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) follows with deep concern the continued deprivation of Gaza’s children from education, as they enter their third consecutive year without schools, amid the Israeli occupation’s targeting of educational institutions within a policy of systematic genocide.
Since October 2023, around 13,500 students have been martyred, more than 785,000 children have been deprived of their right to education, over 800 teachers have been killed along with about 190 academics and researchers, and around 95% of Gaza’s schools have been damaged, including 163 schools and universities that were completely destroyed.
These violations represent a grave crime against Palestinian generations and constitute a flagrant breach of international law, including Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and they fall under the definition of genocide according to the 1948 Convention. Despite efforts by parents and volunteer teachers to establish tents and alternative educational centers, ongoing bombardment, lack of security, and absence of basic necessities make the educational process nearly impossible, exacerbating the psychological and physical burdens on children, with worsening cases of trauma, fear, panic attacks, and hunger.
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness) affirms that depriving Gaza’s children of education represents a systematic educational genocide aimed at destroying the future of Palestinian generations. It calls on the international community and United Nations bodies, particularly the Human Rights Council and UNICEF, to take immediate action to stop this crime and ensure the return of children to their schools in a safe environment. It also urges the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court to include these violations in investigation files related to war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people, and calls on states and educational and academic institutions to launch emergency education support programs and provide safe alternative learning environments for Gaza’s children.
The continued silence of the international community reinforces the policy of impunity, threatens Palestinian generations’ right to education, and constitutes a violation of universal human values that regard education as a fundamental, inalienable right.
The Palestinian Association for Human Rights (Witness)
Beirut – 16/09/2025