1,000 days after the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, an investigative map prepared by the Al Jazeera Network’s digital investigations team reveals details and data about the Israeli occupation’s annihilation of the educational infrastructure in the Strip, which led to the transformation of schools and universities into direct military targets, as part of a systematic policy of almost complete dismantling of aspects of life.
To prepare the map, the team relied on data from the United Nations Satellite Center (UNOSAT), in addition to analyzing recent satellite images up to June 21, 2026, to document the extent of the destruction caused to educational institutions during 1,000 days of war.
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The analysis revealed that the Israeli occupation completely or partially destroyed hundreds of educational institutions, which led to thousands of Palestinian students losing their safe educational environment.
Annihilation of the educational structure
The results of the analysis showed an unprecedented extent of destruction affecting educational institutions in the Gaza Strip, where 529 educational facilities were targeted, of which 247 were completely destroyed and 282 were partially destroyed.
The analysis figures reflect that the destruction was not limited to a specific area, but rather extended to all governorates of the Strip. However, Gaza City was the most affected area, as the Israeli war machine completely destroyed 72 schools in the city and 7 universities, while 119 other schools and 7 universities were partially damaged.
In northern Gaza, 55 schools and universities were completely out of service, while 40 schools were partially damaged. As for Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the destruction was widespread, affecting 80 schools and universities completely, while 64 schools and universities were partially damaged.
In the city of Rafah, Israeli military operations led to the complete destruction of 24 schools and one university, in addition to 40 schools and universities that were partially damaged, while in Deir al-Balah, 7 schools were completely destroyed, and 15 schools and two universities were partially damaged.
Based on the methodology used by the team in analyzing the data, completely destroyed institutions are defined as buildings that have completely collapsed or are destroyed to a level that renders them unusable and must be rebuilt.
As for educational buildings classified as partial damage, they are those that suffered major damage but are still standing and capable of restoration.
Educational institutions under siege
However, the numbers do not tell the whole scene. In the heart of the devastation, there are other challenges faced by school and university students in the Gaza Strip, as 179 destroyed or partially damaged educational facilities are located within the areas controlled by the Israeli occupation, known as the “Yellow Line,” which poses additional obstacles to their rehabilitation and the return of students to them.
According to the available data, there are about 122 completely destroyed educational facilities, most of which were destroyed after the Israeli occupation took control of those areas, and 57 partially damaged educational facilities are located within the areas under the occupation’s control, which means that benefiting from the educational buildings that could have been restored and rehabilitated for use has become impossible due to the Israeli military cordon.
The effects of this control are not limited to depriving students of access to these institutions, but also extend to making any future reconstruction or rehabilitation efforts hostage to the Israeli military presence, which adds a new challenge to an educational reality that is already suffering from widespread destruction after 1,000 days of devastating war on the Strip.
Educational institutions… a haven for the displaced
The widespread destruction of educational institutions not only disrupted studies, but also almost completely changed the function of educational buildings in the Gaza Strip.
In light of the destruction that affected large areas of residential buildings in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli occupation preventing the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the war, educational buildings turned into emergency shelter centers for Palestinians who lost their homes.
According to the new reality, the education sector in the Gaza Strip is losing a large part of its buildings, in addition to its operational capacity, as a result of the remaining schools and universities being used as shelter centers for the displaced.
In the latest statistics published by the government media office in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, it was stated that the Israeli aggression caused damage to all schools in the Strip, explaining that 100% of the schools were subjected to material damage as a result of direct and indirect bombing and targeting.
The media office confirmed, in a statement published on the Telegram platform, that 81% of school buildings need major reconstruction or rehabilitation, while 40% of school buildings are now located within what is known as the “yellow line.”
He added that the occupation targeted 80% of the school buildings that were subjected to direct bombardment, and also completely or partially destroyed 17 higher education institutions.
The office reported that the war claimed the lives of more than 20,000 students, while more than 19,800 students left the Gaza Strip during the war, stressing that more than 620,000 school-age students, in addition to more than 90,000 university-age students, were deprived of continuing their education because of the war.
