.jpg)
Palestinian Ministry of Education says at least 4,037 students and 209 educational staff have been killed since the start of Israel's brutal aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip on October 7, reports Press TV.
In a statement released on Wednesday, it said that more than 7,259 students and 619 teachers were also injured in the besieged stri.
The ministry and several education-focused NGOs reported that 352 schools across the Gaza Strip have sustained damage, affecting the education of 400,700 students.
Three governorates namely Gaza, Khan Younis and North Gaza are highly affected, accounting for 74 per cent of the total damage, it added.
The figures come as hospitals and schools, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes since the war erupted.
Israel has justified attacks on UN schools, universities and hospitals, saying they were used by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. However, it has provided no proof for its claims.
Media reports have also debunked Israeli claims that Hamas ran a command center under Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, which was crippled by Israeli shelling.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and decried the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
