On November 20, recognized globally as World Children’s Day, Palestine commemorates its children—those whose lives, education, and dreams have been extinguished by Israel’s ongoing war of extermination in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Education reported that more than 19,000 school-aged children have been killed, and approximately 28,000 others wounded, since the beginning of the assault.
The toll includes widespread destruction of educational infrastructure: hundreds of schools, kindergartens, childhood centers, nurseries, and playgrounds have been either partially or completely destroyed across Gaza and the West Bank.
The ministry emphasized that while the world marks this day to uphold children’s rights to protection, education, dignity, care, and play, Palestinian children continue to be systematically denied these rights.
It reaffirmed that children in Palestine are entitled to a stable environment that guarantees free, safe, and quality education—rights enshrined in international law, including the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.
While global institutions celebrate this occasion, violations by Israeli forces and illegal paramilitary colonizers persist across Gaza, Jerusalem, and Area C of the occupied West Bank. The ministry noted that hardly a day passes without the killing of a child by an Israeli soldier or colonizer.
The Ministry of Education called for urgent protection for Palestinian children and students, support for educational relief and recovery efforts in Gaza, rehabilitation of damaged educational infrastructure, expansion of psychosocial support programs, and sustained investment in equitable, quality education that strengthens resilience and dignity.
