In Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, a young girl walks through a destroyed street.
UNICEF today released an analysis saying that since the start of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel's heavy bombardment of Gaza has "directly hit" 212 schools.
In the report, published in conjunction with the NGO Education Cluster and Save The Children, UNICEF found that attacks on school facilities have been on the rise amid heavy Israeli bombardment of large parts of the Gaza Strip by land, sea and air, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Satellite imagery shows that at least 53 schools have been "completely destroyed" since the conflict began, and attacks on campuses have increased by nearly 9% since mid-February.
Large-scale destruction
Satellite imagery shows that northern Gaza is by far the worst-affected area, with 86.2 per cent of school buildings directly attacked or destroyed.
According to the report, more than half of the schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been attacked since 7 October (57 per cent). Local government buildings have also been attacked by Israeli shelling or ground operations.
The report states that by October 7, more than 625,000 students and 22,000 teachers were in school. For the past six months, there has been no educational activity in Gaza at all.
Israeli troops in schools
Analysis from satellite imagery and other sources shows that Israeli security forces have been using schools for military purposes since the escalation of the conflict.
These reports, pictures and videos show that Israeli security forces are using schools for military operations, including as detention centers, interrogation centres and military bases. Satellite images in the report also show military tanks, tank tracks and craters caused by the shelling of schools in February.
Since the escalation of the conflict, displaced people have used more than 320 schools as shelters, the report states. Of these facilities, 188 were directly attacked or damaged.
The report's authors believe that once the conflict is over, at least 67 percent of Gaza's schools will either need to be fully rebuilt or will need extensive rehabilitation work before they can be put back into use.
