The Most Critical Dimensions of Targeting Palestinian Education during the Israeli War on the Gaza Strip (2023-2024)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30907/jcopolicy.vi69.799Keywords:
Al-Aqsa flood, Academic life, Gaza Strip, Strategic Bombardment, Assassination of ScholarsAbstract
This study sheds light on the most challenging dimensions of targeting Palestinian education during the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip (2023–2024). Gaza witnessed the widespread destruction of its educational infrastructure, resulting in a prolonged crisis in the education sector. The study focuses on three of the most severe aspects of this targeting: the destruction of educational infrastructure, the targeted killing of scientific and academic personnel, and the creation of a sustained crisis in education.
The study seeks to answer the central research question: What are the most challenging dimensions of targeting Palestinian education during the Israeli war on Gaza in 2023–2024?
It employs two methodological approaches: the descriptive-analytical method to document and analyze the targeting of educational infrastructure and the elimination of academic professionals, and the historical method to trace the evolution of educational targeting in Gaza since 1967. Additionally, the study draws on theories of structural violence, human capital, and post-conflict reconstruction to understand the impact of the aggression on education.
The findings highlight that 75% of schools and universities were destroyed, depriving hundreds of thousands of students of access to education. Dozens of scholars and academics were killed, weakening the capacity to rebuild the educational system. The study concludes that the targeting of education was part of a calculated Israeli strategy aimed at disrupting academic life in Gaza, posing long-term challenges to reconstruction and the resumption of education.
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