Israel has robbed Palestinian girls and boys of their childhood and education as its war machine continues to attack schools in Gaza, says Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

Lazzarini made the statement on a Wednesday X post. Such attacks have become “an almost daily occurrence,” he said.

“At least eight schools hit in the last 10 days, including six UNRWA schools,” he said. “The war robbed the girls and boys in Gaza of their childhood and education.”

“Schools must never be used for fighting or military purposes by any party to the conflict. Schools are not a target.”

Lazzarini called for an immediate halt to the regime’s barbarous campaign that has claimed the lives of over 38,600 people since early October. The toll includes 80 new deaths in 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Gaza schools have been turned into a center for sheltering the displaced across the Gaza Strip since Israel started its barbarous campaign in Gaza more than nine months ago.

Thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering in school buildings with no other place to flee amid the regime’s relentless bombardment of their homeland.

Two-thirds of UN school buildings in Gaza have been hit since the start of the war, with more than 539 people killed, according to UNRWA.

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