260,000 Palestinian children join UNRWA learning program since January

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Tens of thousands of Palestinian children have joined a distance learning program in the war-torn Gaza Strip since January, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Tuesday.

“Nearly 260,000 children have enrolled in UNRWA’s distance learning program since January,” the UN agency said in a statement.

Gaza’s school year began on Feb. 23 after almost two years of suspension due to Israel’s destructive war on the Palestinian enclave.

According to Palestinian figures, 85% of schools in Gaza have been rendered inoperable by Israeli bombardment.

Gaza’s government media office said at least 12,800 students, and 800 teachers and administrative staff were killed, and 1,166 educational establishments were destroyed in the Israeli war, estimating the damage in the education sector at over $2 billion.

UNRWA said its health teams also continue to provide mental health and psychosocial support to Palestinians in central Gaza and the southern city of Khan Younis.

“Since the ceasefire, UNRWA teams have responded to over 15,000 cases,” it added.

Nearly 48,400 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 111,000 others injured in the Israeli war since October 2023. The onslaught, which left the enclave in ruins, was paused under a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold on Jan. 19.

Israel, however, halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza on Sunday, hours after the first phase of the ceasefire agreement expired.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.