85% of schools in Gaza targeted or damaged: UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported on its social media account that 85% of school buildings in the Gaza Strip have been intentionally targeted or damaged.

Nearly 85% of school buildings in the #GazaStrip have been directly hit or damaged, according to satellite assessments by @GlobalEdCluster

Some of these schools will need full reconstruction. The war is destroying the present and the future of Palestinian children. #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/1ozXNDinFj

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 2, 2024

Israel’s ongoing military offensive on the Gaza Strip, initiated on Oct. 7, is intensifying with each passing day. Israel has not only been targeting hospitals and civilian settlements but also schools.

UNRWA’s statement asserts that the ongoing war is causing significant harm to the current and future well-being of Palestinian children. Furthermore, it highlights the urgent need for the complete reconstruction of certain schools.

Commissioner-General of UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini highlighted the crisis in Gaza in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

People in #Gaza are facing yet another peril: Hepatitis A is spreading including among children.
Since the war began, @UNRWA is reporting nearly 40,000 cases in our shelters and clinics against only 85 in the same period before the war.
This is a frightening increase.

The… pic.twitter.com/Dg6bbXuwe0

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 2, 2024

Lazzarini emphasized that access to clean water and hygiene supplies in Gaza is a top priority and warned about the risk of potential outbreaks of disease.