More than 19,000 Palestinian school children killed since Oct 7

RAMALLAH - On Universal Children’s Day, marked annually on Nov 20, Palestine reflects on the immense suffering endured by its children since the start of what it describes as the Israeli genocide on Oct 7 2023, which has claimed thousands of young lives, disrupted their education and shattered their dreams.

In a press statement issued to mark the occasion, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education said that more than 19,000 schoolchildren have been killed and approximately 28,000 injured, Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported.

Hundreds of schools, kindergartens, early childhood centres, nurseries and playgrounds have been completely or partially damaged in Gaza and the West Bank since the beginning of what it described as a war of genocide.

"On this day, designated globally to highlight children’s rights to protection, education, dignity, care, play and other fundamental rights, we affirm that the children of Palestine deserve to live in a stable environment that guarantees their right to free, safe and quality education, as enshrined in international conventions and laws,” it said.

The ministry referred in particular to the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child.

It noted that while nations and institutions around the world commemorate this occasion, violations committed by the Israeli army and its colonists against Palestinian children continue across Gaza, Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank.

"Hardly a day passes without news of a child being killed by a colonist or an Israeli soldier. This reality is not merely captured in figures; it is a collection of stories in which dreams, aspirations and hopes were extinguished in moments.

"The effects of the crimes committed by the occupation army against Palestinian children in Gaza remain evident and demand accountability and deterrence,” it added.

The ministry called for urgent protection for children and school students in Palestine, as well as support for relief efforts and the restoration of education for children and students in Gaza.

"It also calls for the rehabilitation of educational infrastructure in affected areas, the expansion of psychosocial support programmes for affected students and continued investment in equitable, quality education that strengthens resilience and steadfastness,” it said. - BERNAMA