Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip killed 14 students and eight education workers during the month of October, figures released by the ministry show. The slain students ranged in age from six to 16 years old, the ministry stated late Monday.
The casualties among education staff included four teachers and three employees of the Islamic University. Those three university workers died when the university grounds were struck. A female academic was also killed when an Israeli strike hit a residential apartment.
Injuries among children, students and staff were documented in attacks targeting schools and makeshift educational tents. Israeli gunfire directed at residential neighbourhoods and educational facilities also forced several schools to suspend or delay classes.
These disruptions impacted multiple areas across the enclave, affecting southern Khan Younis, eastern Deir al-Balah, the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, and parts of the northern Gaza Strip.
The ministry reported that the continued blockade and closure of border crossings prevented Palestinian students with foreign scholarships from travelling abroad. As a result, some individuals lost their opportunities to continue their higher education.
Restrictions also blocked the entry of essential supplies needed by schools. This included construction materials for repairing damaged facilities, tents for temporary classrooms, school furniture, and equipment for vocational education and students with disabilities.
Fuel shortages hampered the ability of thousands of students to reach schools and universities, while also disrupting electricity generators used by educational institutions.
The ministry appealed to the international community, United Nations agencies, and human rights organisations to intervene. It urged them to protect students and teachers, halt attacks on educational infrastructure, and secure the entry of supplies needed to prevent the total collapse of Gaza’s education system.
Gaza’s Government Media Office stated that 95 percent of schools in the enclave have sustained damage from Israeli attacks since October 2023. Previous figures from the ministry showed that more than 20,051 school-age students and over 532 teachers were killed between October 2023 and July 2026.
Despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect on 10 October 2025, subsequent Israeli attacks have killed 1,593 Palestinians and injured 5,748 others. That ceasefire followed two years of war that killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, injured over 175,000 others, and destroyed around 90 percent of the enclave’s civilian infrastructure.
