In November 2018, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza targeted Palestinian schools, as well as a kindergarten and a learning support centre. At the time – also within the context of Israeli forces disrupting education in the occupied West Bank, and schools being slated for demolition – the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator Jamie McGoldrick stated, “The classroom should be a sanctuary from conflict, where children can learn and develop as citizens.”

However, in its most recent two-day aggression against Gaza, Israel damaged 13 Palestinian schools.

According to the Palestinian Education Ministry, windows and doors were damaged when classrooms were hit by shrapnel from Israeli weapons. The silence emanating from the UN is telling of an international community which has blatantly defaulted. Read more.