GAZA – More than 76 percent of schools in Gaza require “full reconstruction or major rehabilitation” to be functional following Israel’s months-long onslaught, according to a new assessment shared by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Based on satellite imagery collected in May, the new Education Cluster assessment highlights a “continuous spike in the direct targeting of schools” in the besieged and bombarded territory. Of the school buildings used as shelters for displaced people in Gaza, 69 percent have been directly hit or damaged in attacks and more than 96 percent of the schools directly attacked – 296 in total – were located in areas subject to Israeli military evacuation orders, it added.

Israeli attacks on educational institutes in Gaza have not only “disrupted immediate educational activities but also eroded the foundation for sustained societal growth and development”, Talal al-Hathal, director of the Al Fakhoura Programme at Education Above All Foundation in Qatar, told Al Jazeera.

“Targeting critical educational infrastructure dismantles hope for many Palestinians in Gaza where education is an important and critical tool for survivability and equality, contributing to better outcomes for Palestinians in their future life,” al-Hathal said.  “Education serves as a critical tool for survival, empowerment, and long-term development in the region, offering a pathway to a more stable and prosperous future.  “By targeting educational facilities, the aggressors strip away the prospects of enlightenment, opportunity and progress, deepening the cycle of despair and deprivation in the region.” (Al Jazeera) …[+]