The Destruction of Higher Education in Gaza

Gaza's education system has been utterly devastated by the wholesale widespread destruction and the collapse of academic infrastructure. Thousands of students, academics, researchers, teachers, and university staff have been killed, injured, displaced, or otherwise targeted — a pattern scholars and human rights experts describe as scholasticide. For many Palestinian students, continuing their education is the only pathway toward rebuilding their lives after genocide, displacement, and immense personal loss.

Sources: UN Independent Human Rights Experts; UNESCO; Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, 2023–2025

90–95%
of school buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed in what UN experts describe as "scholasticide" — the systematic destruction of an education system.
88–92%
of educational facilities now require major rehabilitation or reconstruction, including schools, libraries, and cultural learning spaces.
12
All of Gaza's major universities destroyed or severely damaged. UNESCO found 22 campus sites fully destroyed and 14 additional sites damaged.
745K+
Palestinian students deprived of regular access to education, including approximately 90,000 university students.
Students & Academics Killed
18,639
Students killed 2023–2025, including 1,351 university students. 792 school teachers and 241 university staff also killed. Over 5,000 teachers and academics injured.
Children
20,000+
Children killed. More than 24,000 children have lost one or both parents. Gaza now has the highest number of child amputees per capita in the world.
Total Death Toll
72,000+
Palestinians officially recorded killed, 171,000+ injured. Independent estimates suggest the real toll may exceed 75,000, with 10,000 still missing under rubble.
Families
2,700+
Palestinian families completely wiped out. In approximately 6,000 families, only one sole survivor remains. More than 60% of Gazans report losing family members.