On the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, The Hague Initiative Issues a Fact Sheet on the State of Education in Gaza in the Context of Genocide

The Hague Initiative for Law and Justice has issued a legal fact sheet entitled “The State of the Education System in the Gaza Strip in the Context of Genocide”, marking the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, observed annually on September 9.

The fact sheet examines the state of Gaza’s education system amid nearly three years of the Israeli war and the extensive impact of military operations on educational institutions, students, and education workers, as well as the consequences for the exercise of the right to education and the continuation of the educational process.

Based on available data, the fact sheet documents the extensive damage to Gaza’s educational infrastructure. Approximately 95% of schools have been directly or indirectly damaged, with 662 school buildings directly targetedand 116 schools indirectly damaged. Around 90% of schools require reconstruction or rehabilitation before they can resume their basic functions. The fact sheet also documents damage to higher education institutions, including 33 university buildings completely destroyed and 55 partially damaged, in addition to 31 educational administrative facilities and related premises.

The fact sheet demonstrates that the impact of this destruction has extended far beyond educational infrastructure, affecting hundreds of thousands of students and tens of thousands of teachers. The damaged educational institutions serve approximately 740,000 students and employ around 25,000 teachers, resulting in widespread disruption to education and depriving large numbers of students of a stable educational environment capable of fulfilling its basic functions.

The fact sheet also addresses attacks affecting students, teachers, academics, and administrative staff, including deaths, injuries, physical and psychological impacts, and displacement, as well as the loss of essential educational materials, supplies, and equipment required for the continuation of education.

It further notes that the disruption of education has resulted not only from the destruction of schools and universities, but has been compounded by ongoing displacement, the use of some educational facilities as shelters, evacuation orders, shortages of electricity and internet services, and restrictions on the entry of educational materials and supplies. These conditions have made the resumption of in-person education, as well as the provision of effective alternatives, extremely difficult.

The fact sheet also highlights the long-term consequences of educational disruption, including increased learning and cultural loss, declining academic achievement, difficulties in restoring regular education, shortages of school supplies, and the loss of electronic devices belonging to students and teachers. It further addresses the harsh humanitarian conditions faced by students in displacement settings, which prevent the creation of an environment conducive to learning.

On the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the Hague Initiative emphasizes that the publication of this fact sheet aims to shed light on the legal and humanitarian impact of attacks on Gaza’s education system, contribute to documenting violations affecting educational institutions and those involved in the educational process, and reaffirm the need to protect the right to education as a fundamental right that does not cease to apply during armed conflict.

The Initiative calls on the international community to take urgent action to halt the genocide in the Gaza Strip, protect educational institutions, ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance and educational materials and supplies, facilitate the work of education personnel, and support the rehabilitation of damaged schools, universities, and educational institutions. It stresses that addressing the impact of the destruction of Gaza’s education system should not be limited to rebuilding physical infrastructure, but must also include the rehabilitation of the education system, addressing learning loss, providing psychological, social, and educational support to students and education workers, and ensuring a safe and stable environment in which the right to education can be exercised.

Read the Fact Sheet: The State of Education in Gaza in the Context of Genocide

The Hague Initiative for Law and Justice

9 September 2026