JERUSALEM 

Palestinian students in the occupied West Bank began their new school year on Monday, while their peers in the Gaza Strip faced a second consecutive year without attending school amid Israel’s ongoing military onslaught.

In a statement, the Palestinian Education Ministry said a total of 2,459 government, private, and United Nations-run schools welcomed more than 806,360 students in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The ministry said the school year in Gaza, however, remains suspended due to Israel’s ongoing offensive that began on Oct.7, 2023.

According to the ministry, more than 10,000 students in Gaza have been killed and 15,000 wounded as a result of Israeli attacks, with 19,000 students having fled their areas.

At least 400 teachers were also killed in Gaza, and 90% of school buildings damaged, it said, adding that 39,000 Gaza students were unable to take their high school exams, and 58,000 children denied their starting first grade.

Israel’s ongoing war on the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 41,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 94,800 others, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of the enclave has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide for its actions in Gaza at the International Court of Justice.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul