Key Takeaways:
- “Scholasticide” claim relies on Hamas casualty data. Euro-Med’s statistics come largely from Hamas-run sources and do not show that Israel targeted students or educators.
- Hamas weaponized schools and universities. Terror tunnels, weapons caches, and command centers were embedded in educational facilities across Gaza.
- Education in Gaza continues despite the war. Tens of thousands graduated and universities reopened after the ceasefire, contradicting claims of systemic destruction.
Amid ongoing coverage of the U.S.–Israel war against Iran, anti-Israel accusations regarding the IDF’s conduct in Gaza continue to circulate on social media.
The latest claim comes from the pro-Hamas NGO Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med), which alleges that Israel is engaged in “scholasticide” — the systematic destruction of Gaza’s educational system and the denial of education to Palestinian students.
This is not the first time the term has been used during the post-October 7 war. But Euro-Med’s latest report repeats a series of familiar accusations, claiming Israel is deliberately undermining Palestinian education through:
- The purposeful bombing of educational institutions.
- The targeting of Palestinian students and teachers.
- The continued blockade of Gaza and restrictions on building materials entering the Strip.
- Forcing students to study in inadequate educational environments.
Yet, like several previous Euro-Med allegations — including claims about organ theft and Israeli dogs trained to rape Palestinian prisoners — the “scholasticide” accusation collapses under scrutiny and lacks essential context.
#Infographic| Israel continues to commit scholasticide in the Gaza Strip, 28 months after its military attack through systematic and deliberate policies aimed at preventing the population from restoring education. More than 780,000 students have been deprived of regular education… pic.twitter.com/GdH6kmiAyL
— Euro-Med Monitor (@EuroMedHR) March 7, 2026
For its claim of “scholasticide,” Euro-Med points primarily to wartime casualties and damage to infrastructure.
The NGO alleges that Israel is responsible for the “killing of 18,911 school pupils and 1,362 higher education students,” while claiming that “Israeli army attacks have killed 794 teachers and 246 university faculty members and researchers.”
However, these figures largely derive from the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty lists, which do not distinguish reliably between civilians and combatants. More importantly, they do not demonstrate the targeted killing of students or educators.
Before the war, Gaza was estimated to have roughly 90,000 higher-education students and over 5,200 university faculty members. Based on Euro-Med’s own figures, this would mean approximately 1.5% of higher-education students and 4.7% of faculty members were killed during the war.
During the same period, roughly 3.5% of Gaza’s overall population was killed, including both civilians and combatants.
In other words, the percentage of higher-education students killed is actually lower than the overall wartime death rate, while the percentage of faculty killed is only slightly higher. While every civilian death is tragic, these figures do not support Euro-Med’s claim of the “direct and systematic targeting of the Palestinian knowledge system.”
Related Reading: Debunked Hamas Casualty Figures and Their Impact on Reporting
Euro-Med also points to Israeli strikes on schools and educational institutions as evidence of deliberate attacks on Gaza’s educational infrastructure.
But the NGO conspicuously omits a critical factor: Hamas and other terrorist groups routinely used these facilities for military purposes. In fact, Hamas is not mentioned once in Euro-Med’s report.
A review of IDF reports throughout the war reveals numerous examples of terror infrastructure embedded within educational sites, including:
- A Hamas and Islamic Jihad command-and-control center on the former grounds of the Faami Aljerjawi School in Gaza City
- A terror tunnel shaft discovered in the yard of a kindergarten in Rafah
- Islamic Jihad’s head of operations located and killed while hiding on the grounds of the Fahed al-Sabah School in northern Gaza
- Weapons caches – including explosives, ammunition, and mortars – discovered in a school in the Jabaliya area
- A 10-kilometer terror tunnel running from Gaza City toward Zeitoun that passed beneath Israa University
These examples demonstrate that Gaza’s terrorist organizations systematically embedded military infrastructure within civilian educational facilities – a clear violation of international law.
Damage to these institutions, therefore, was not the result of a campaign against education but rather the consequence of Hamas’ deliberate militarization of civilian spaces.
Euro-Med further cites Israel’s continued blockade and restrictions on certain building materials entering Gaza as evidence of “scholasticide.”
In reality, these restrictions apply to dual-use materials that can be repurposed for military construction – particularly for rebuilding Hamas’ extensive tunnel network and other terror infrastructure.
The policy is directly tied to the fact that Hamas continues to control large parts of Gaza and remains committed to rebuilding its military capabilities.
Finally, Euro-Med’s report ignores developments that undermine its narrative entirely.
Despite the disruptions caused by the war, educational life in Gaza has begun to resume:
- More than 200 medical students graduated in January 2026, following two years of interrupted studies.
- 56,000 students celebrated their high school graduation in November 2025.
- Al-Azhar University in Gaza reopened its doors to prospective students less than three weeks after the ceasefire took effect.
??More footage of Gazans celebrating the Tawjihi (High School graduation) results that were out in Gaza yesterday*.
One lucky girl gets a new iPhone 17 pro max and another gift (an ipad?).
One of the graduates is an employee of Chef Hamada, who throws him a celebration in the… https://t.co/6GPhkAC3Bk pic.twitter.com/qnL6Lctqgy— Imshin (@imshin) November 14, 2025
These developments hardly suggest the destruction of Gaza’s educational system.
The reality is far simpler than the libelous narrative advanced by Euro-Med.
The deaths of students and the damage to schools are tragic consequences of a war initiated by Hamas on October 7 and intensified by the group’s strategy of embedding military infrastructure within civilian areas.
Labeling those consequences “scholasticide” does not illuminate the reality of the conflict.
It distorts it.
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region. Get updates direct to your phone. Join our WhatsApp and Telegram channels!
© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
