Attacks on schools during the Gaza war

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has conducted attacks (including numerous airstrikes) on more than 200 educational facilities, including universities, in the Gaza Strip.

By late March 2024, the United Nations recorded more than 200 Israeli attacks on schools in Gaza, with at least 53 schools totally destroyed. By July 2024, all 19 Gaza universities had suffered severe damage with 80% of university buildings destroyed, 103 academics killed, and 90,000 students enrolled in higher education no longer able to pursue their studies. In June 2024, UNOCHA stated 76% of Gaza's schools required "full reconstruction or major rehabilitation", and in August 2024, UNICEF stated 564, or 85%, of all schools in Gaza had been hit by Israeli attacks. In May 2025, an estimated 95% of school buildings had been damaged or destroyed.

The IDF states it targets schools because Palestinian militants use them for military purposes. Researchers looking into IDF's claims concluded the claims either lacked evidence, or the evidence presented was misleading. When the IDF destroyed the last university in the Gaza Strip, it destroyed it in a controlled explosion.

Breakdown of deaths by age and gender (analysis by professors Michael Spagat and Daniel Silverman), November 2023
  1. Men and boys over 14 (35.3%)
  2. Women and girls over 14 (24.1%)
  3. Children under 14 (33.8%)
  4. Elderly, above 60 (6.80%)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.