Verification of Damage to Schools Based on Proximity to Damaged Sites – Gaza, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Update #5 (July 2024) – Occupied Palestinian Territory

The catastrophic damage to the education system in Gaza!

In Gaza, 17 years of blockade combined with recurring conflict have damaged and destroyed an already fragile education infrastructure: increasing pressure on educational facilities, disrupting educational services and impacting the psychosocial well-being of children and teachers. The recent hostilities in Gaza have tragically seen a high trend of attacks on school facilities, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation.

Since 7 October, the Education Cluster “EC” has been monitoring and reporting on damage to schools through initial reports from Cluster partners in the field, UNOCHA and UNRWA. In addition, the EC has activated the Education Cluster Assessment Team (ECAT) which has been deployed to verify damage whenever the situation allows.

Objectively

Due to increased access restrictions to the field throughout the Gaza Strip and intensive Israeli air, land and sea bombardments of much of the Gaza Strip, coupled with recurring telecommunications blackouts, the Cluster conducted a satellite-based damage assessment for:

To update the results of the previous report on school damage based on proximity to damaged locations, including new trends and severity of damage.
To better understand the situation of school buildings and the severity of damage, especially in areas with limited access to the field.
Assist in updating the Flash Appeal as part of the Cluster Response Plan and allocating resources where they are most needed, ensuring a fast and effective recovery process.
• Communicate the impact of ongoing hostilities on school facilities to the public, including humanitarian actors. This information helps raise awareness of the severity of the situation and can facilitate evidence-based engagement in recovery efforts.
The Education Cluster published the first update of the “Verification of damage to schools based on the proximity of damaged locations” on February 10, the second update on March 26, the third update on April 25 and the fourth update on June 3.