At least 64 attacks on Gaza Schools reported in October, UNICEF says

Schools are protected under the International Humanitarian Law, the UN agency asserted while condemning these attacks. It called for an immediate ceasefire to the events in West Asia.

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a UNRWA school sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, June 6, 2024 | Reuters File Photo

New Delhi: Amid the Israel-Gaza conflict, at least 64 attacks on schools in Gaza have been registered in October, a UNICEF release stated. This means that each day in the month, almost two attacks have taken place.

These strikes, which often target shelters for displaced families, have brought the total number of attacks on schools since the start of the conflict last year to 226. The latest data from UNICEF reveals that nearly half of the October attacks occurred in northern Gaza, where intense bombardments, displacement, and a lack of aid are pushing children to the brink.

Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, has condemned the attacks, emphasizing that schools should never be on the frontlines of war and children should never be targeted while seeking shelter.

“Schools should never be on the frontlines of war, and children should never be indiscriminately attacked while seeking shelter,” Russell said. “The horrors we are seeing in Gaza are setting a dark precedent for humanity, one where children are hit with bombs at record numbers while looking for safety inside classrooms. Trauma and loss have become their daily norm.”

The attacks in October resulted in an estimated 128 deaths, many of them children, UNICEF said.

Schools are protected under International law, the release said as it labeled the attacks a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law noting that since the beginning of the conflict, over 95% of schools in Gaza have been partially or completely destroyed. At least 87% of these damaged schools will require extensive reconstruction before they can be used again, the release added.

Meanwhile, the conflict itself has caused a prolonged closure of schools which has resulted in the loss of access to formal education for at least 658,000 school-aged children in Gaza, negatively impacting their future prospects and increasing their risk of child labor and child marriage.

UNICEF called for an immediate ceasefire and called on all parties to the conflict to protect schools and civilian infrastructure.