NEW YORK: A senior United Nations official for relief work in occupied Gaza, reopened on Sunday a school — Khuza’a Eleme­ntary Co-ed A&B school, in eastern Khan Younis area of Gaza Strip.

According to a statement issued by the UN relief agency, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl reopened the school which has over 1,100 students who returned to classrooms in mid-March.

Its refurbishment was made possible by generous donations from international partners and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai who contributed $50,000 — her entire prize money. The building was one of 83 schools affected by Israeli attacks. Damage and destruction to the Khuza’a school occurred on or about 28 July last year, contrary to the inviolability of UN premises under international law.

This was concurrent with Israeli Defence Force’s ground operations in the vicinity of the school, during which an entire wing of classrooms, a toilet block and a boundary wall were demolished. There was also some damage caused by ordnance and small arms fire.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2015

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