The following statement is released by the South African Humanities Dean’s Association (SAHUDA) in condemnation of the ongoing and unparalleled violations of international law and human rights in the Gaza Strip and the Occupied Westbank of Palestine.
The current siege on Gaza has surpassed its sixth month and the plight of the inhabitants of Gaza and the Occupied Westbank of Palestine is continuously deteriorating. Six months into the siege (8 April 2024), the death toll in Gaza has risen to more than 33,109 Palestinians, including 13,850 children; those injured number 75,750. These figures translate to 179 people including 75 children killed in Gaza per day since 7 October 2023 (ReliefWeb, 2024). In the Occupied Westbank, 460 people have been killed, of which 117 children, with more than 4,750 injured (AJLabs, 2024).
The number of internally displaced people in Gaza out of a population of 2,3 million stands at more than 1,7 million bringing the internally displaced to 75% of Gazan residents (OCHA, 2024). As of March 2024, 17,000 children were unaccompanied or separated from their parents, while 1 million children were in need of mental health and psychosocial support (OCHA, 2024).
90% of school structures in Gaza have been damaged, whilst 29% have been destroyed, depriving 433,000 children of access to education (MESA Committee on Academic Freedom, 2024). It is impossible to estimate how long it will take to rebuild the school system in Gaza, or whether this will be possible at all.
Full Statement is accessible at SAHUDA Statement on Palestine
