UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that more than 70% of UNRWA schools in the Gaza Strip have either been destroyed or damaged, with the vast majority of them now serving as overcrowded shelters to hundreds of thousands of displaced families, which means that they cannot be used for learning. Lazzarini warned in a post on X yesterday saying: “The longer children stay out of school, the higher the risk of a lost generation.” On the occasion of the start of the back-to-school season in the region, minus Gaza, the UNRWA commissioner-general said: “More than 600,000 children there are deeply traumatised, living in the rubble. They continue to be deprived of learning and schooling. Half of them used to be in UNRWA schools.” Lazzarini added that in the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza, children are likely to fall prey to exploitation, as is the case too often in conflicts around the world, calling for this not to be allowed to happen in Gaza. Last week, the UNRWA commissioner-general accused Israel of purchasing Google ads to discredit UNRWA and to discourage donations to it. (QNA)
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