RAMALLAH, Palestine

More than 6,000 Palestinian students have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since last October, according to local authorities on Tuesday.  

In a statement, the Education Ministry said 5,994 students lost their lives and 9,890 others were injured in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

Another 56 students were killed, 329 injured and 105 others detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the ministry said.

According to the statement, 266 teachers and administrators were killed, and 973 others injured in Gaza, while six were injured and 73 others arrested in the West Bank.

In Gaza, some 286 government schools and 65 UNRWA-run schools were targeted in Israeli attacks, with 40 facilities destroyed and 111 others damaged.

In the West Bank, Israeli army forces raided and vandalized 57 schools in the occupied territory, the ministry said.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

More than 456 Palestinians have since been killed and around 4,750 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which last week asked Israel to do more to prevent famine in Gaza, where more than 32,900 people have been killed.

​​​​​​​*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul