News - Middle East: The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says the Israeli military has targeted 69 percent of school buildings used as shelters for displaced people in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire in the besieged territory.

UNRWA made the remarks in a statement released on Sunday as Gaza has been under relentless Israeli bombardment for more than eight months.

The agency went on to say that “69% of school buildings where displaced families were seeking shelter have been directly hit or damaged,” according to the Global Education Cluster, which serves as a joint coordination mechanism among organizations engaged in humanitarian responses within the education sector during instances of internal displacement.

“This blatant disregard of humanitarian law must stop. We need a ceasefire now,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Government Media Office in Gaza said at least 800,000 students have been deprived of their right to education due to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

The media office also noted that among them, “40,000 high school students from various branches will not be able to participate in this year’s session of the high school exams.”

This represents “an unprecedented violation that threatens their future and undermines their chances of enrolling in local and international universities and colleges,” it added.

The media office further underlined that “85% of educational facilities are out of service due to direct and deliberate targeting, posing a significant challenge to efforts to resume the educational process after the war ends.”

It also said plans have been implemented to make up for the academic year for students at different levels, ensuring that they possess the essential concepts and skills necessary for their continued learning.

Israel waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas conducted Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed nearly 37,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left vast swathes of the territory in ruins.

More than 1.7 million people have been internally displaced during the war as well.

Source: Press TV