GENEVA, Friday, April 19, 2024 (WAFA) – UN independent human rights experts have raised alarm over the “systematic destruction” of the Palestinian education system in the Gaza Strip as Israel’s military onslaught continues unabated.
“With more than 80 percent of schools in Gaza damaged or destroyed, it may be reasonable to ask if there is an intentional effort to comprehensively destroy the Palestinian education system, an action known as ‘scholasticide’,” the experts said.
The term “scholasticide” refers to the systemic obliteration of education through the arrest, detention or killing of teachers, students and staff and the destruction of educational infrastructure.
The experts urged respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law and protection of educational institutions, teachers and students.
“We remind Israel in particular of its obligations to comply with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 26 January,” they said.
The experts, including UN Special Rapporteurs on the right to education and on the situation in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, also warned of the far-reaching impact of attacks on education in Gaza.
“The persistent, callous attacks on educational infrastructure in Gaza have a devastating long-term impact on the fundamental rights of people to learn and freely express themselves, depriving yet another generation of Palestinians of their future,” the experts said.
“When schools are destroyed, so too are hopes and dreams.”
In addition to schools, a further 195 heritage sites, 227 mosques and three churches have also been damaged or destroyed, including the Central Archives of Gaza, which catalogued 150 years of history.
Israa University, the last remaining university in Gaza, was demolished by the Israeli military on 17 January.
The experts noted that without a safe place to go to school, women and girls face multifaceted risks, including increased gender-based violence.
“These attacks are not isolated incidents. They present a systematic pattern of violence aimed at dismantling the very foundation of Palestinian society,” the experts said.
