More than 20,000 Palestinian students have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank over the past three years, according to figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Education.
A statistical report issued by the ministry on Wednesday, 7 October, said 20,748 students had lost their lives during the period. The toll includes both school pupils and university students. The report also recorded the deaths of 1,058 education-sector officials and employees.
The figures offer a stark picture of the impact of the conflict on Palestinian education. Thousands of students and education workers have been injured or detained, while numerous schools and other educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed in attacks.
Gaza bears the heaviest loss
The vast majority of student deaths have been recorded in the Gaza Strip. According to the ministry, 19,189 school students and 1,386 university students were killed there, taking the combined number of student deaths in Gaza to 20,575.
The number of injured students is also substantial. A total of 28,586 school students and 3,082 university students were reported injured in the territory.
Education workers have suffered significant casualties as well. The ministry said 805 school employees and 246 university employees were killed in Gaza. Another 3,298 school workers and 1,493 university workers were injured.
The scale of the losses has placed enormous pressure on an education system already struggling amid widespread destruction. The deaths and injuries of students, teachers and other staff, coupled with damage to educational facilities, have disrupted the normal continuation of schooling and higher education.
Students and staff detained in West Bank
The occupied West Bank has also recorded casualties and detentions among students and education workers.
The Palestinian Education Ministry reported that 134 school students and 39 university students were killed in the West Bank. A further 871 school students and 283 university students were injured.
Detentions have affected both students and education personnel. Israeli forces detained 416 school students and 481 university students, according to the report.
The education workforce has also been affected. Seven school employees were killed and 26 were injured, while more than 176 teachers and 21 university employees were detained.
These figures point to the broader disruption faced by Palestinian educational institutions. For students, the consequences of the conflict extend beyond the immediate risk of death or injury, as prolonged interruptions to education can leave children and young people without stable access to learning.
Wider toll of the conflict
The education ministry’s figures form part of a much wider humanitarian toll since the conflict escalated in October 2023.
According to the report, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military campaign began, while more than 175,000 people have been injured. Around 90 per cent of the territory’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, the ministry said.
The destruction has also affected educational infrastructure, making it increasingly difficult for students and teachers to maintain regular academic activities. Schools and universities have been among the institutions affected by the wider devastation.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces and settlers have killed 1,210 Palestinians during the same period, according to the report. More than 13,350 people have been injured and over 24,600 have been detained.
The education figures underline the extent to which the conflict has affected an entire generation of Palestinian students. With thousands killed, many more injured or detained, and educational facilities damaged across Gaza and the West Bank, the disruption to learning represents another lasting consequence of the violence.
