Palestinian Child’s Day arrives this year as the cries of Palestine's children continue to rise against an international silence that has failed to stop the machinery of death and destruction.
اضافة اعلان
Observed on April 5th, this day comes amidst harsh conditions and unprecedented challenges, reaffirming that the will to live and learn is stronger than the occupation's arsenals and settler crimes.
Over the past two years, Palestinian children have been subjected to a systematic war of genocide targeting their very existence and their inherent right to life. This includes assaults by occupation soldiers and settler attacks on numerous schools across various locations. Statistics indicate that more than 19,000 child students have been martyred; they were not merely numbers, but dreams buried alive and life stories left unfinished.
In the Gaza Strip, hundreds of thousands of children live without shelter or safety, facing hunger, disease, and repeated displacement in the greatest humanitarian crime against childhood in modern times.
In this context, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education emphasizes that the targeting of schools and educational institutions will not deter it from its mission. The Ministry continues its efforts through virtual schools and temporary learning points to ensure the continuity of the educational process and to prevent an entire generation from losing its right to learn. It is also working to support students outside the Gaza Strip and providing special interventions for displaced children in Jenin and Tulkarm.
The Ministry considers the students' insistence on studying in tents and atop the rubble to be the greatest response to attempts at forced ignorance and "epistemicide" (knowledge genocide). It confirmed its commitment to supporting displaced children from camps in the northern West Bank and enhancing educational development through open learning resource schools and other initiatives to address learning loss and ensure equitable, quality education.
Furthermore, the Ministry pays exceptional attention to children with disabilities, whose suffering has doubled due to new injuries caused by the aggression and settler attacks, providing specialized rehabilitation and educational programs, along with psychosocial support to ensure their integration and empowerment.
On Palestinian Child's Day, the Ministry issued an urgent appeal to the international community and human rights organizations—led by UNICEF—demanding:
Immediate international protection to save the remaining children of Gaza from the threat of killing and starvation.
Support for the continuity and quality of education as an inherent fundamental right that must not be forfeited under any circumstances.
Assistance in rebuilding destroyed educational institutions.
Exposing the occupation’s practices and settler violations against children in all international forums.
The Ministry concluded its statement by affirming that the children of Palestine, despite their wounds, remain the symbol of hope and the compass, and that it will continue its role in defending their right to a safe education and a dignified life like all children of the world.
(Wafa)
