Afrasianet – On August 10, Israeli shelling of the Taba'een school in Gaza City killed more than 100 people who sought refuge there, including many children. It was one of 17 deadly attacks on schools in the Strip that occurred last month, according to the United Nations. Places dedicated to education, which have been turned into shelters for the displaced, have become frequent targets in this war, as the difference between combatants and civilians has been diluted.

This week, tens of thousands of children were supposed to celebrate the start of a new school year, but they are now living the nightmare of "eradicating education," a term specifically coined to describe the genocide of education in Gaza.

Dr. Karma Nabulsi of the University of Oxford coined the term during the Israeli offensive on Gaza in 2008-2009, when schools, the Ministry of Education, and other educational buildings were the targets of attacks. Today, the devastation of Gaza's education system is unimaginable: thousands of students and hundreds of teachers have been killed, and hundreds of schools have been destroyed or damaged over the past eleven months.

This deliberate destruction of Gaza's education system threatens not only the future of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children, but also the international humanitarian system and our common moral compass. The global community seems to be gradually moving towards accepting the unacceptable. The normalization of violence against schools is a stark indication of a deeper crisis in our universal values, where ensuring the protection of innocent people is no longer a certainty, and our humanity is eroded.

The Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols clearly define that attacking schools is a clear violation, yet attacks continue. According to data collected by UNICEF, 318 schools in the Gaza Strip had been directly targeted as of July 6. Since then, dozens of other attacks have taken place.

Debates about whether the attack on the al-Taabi'a school on August 10 was legal because of the presence of potential Hamas fighters miss the essential point. Schools are dedicated to education. These military actions constitute a direct attack on the fundamental rights of civilians, especially children.

Besides the obvious harm to children and young people, these – unnecessary – attacks on schools further escalate tensions, undermining efforts to reach a just and lasting solution.

The right to education is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is a right even in time of war, as stipulated in the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention. How can this right be guaranteed to Palestinian children if their schools are reduced to rubble and pits?

Unfortunately, attacks on educational places are not only happening in Gaza. According to UNICEF, since the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, more than 1,300 educational facilities have been destroyed or damaged.

According to the Global Alliance to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), incidents targeting education and military use of schools increased by nearly 20% in 2022 and 2023 compared to the previous two years.

The ability of the international community to apply the protections enshrined in international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions, is clearly diminished. These laws, ratified by more than 190 countries, oblige the protection of civilians, including children, during armed conflict and call for the prosecution of violators.

However, these commitments have failed to protect children in Gaza and other conflict zones. While calls for immediate action, such as ceasefires and humanitarian aid, remain essential, they are no substitute for decisive action to implement international law.

When the international community tolerates violations of international law for months and years, it undertakes gradual normalization that ultimately weakens global norms, making previously unacceptable actions seem tolerable. When targeting schools becomes increasingly acceptable, it fundamentally

betrays the fundamental principles of the international legal system and the protection of civilians.

The choice before us is clear: either we act decisively to uphold the principles of humanitarian law and protect the innocent, or we allow the erosion of our shared values to continue unchecked. The world cannot remain indifferent, because the cost of inaction is measured in the lives and future of children.

Executive Director, Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education