Thirteen students at United Nations schools have been killed by Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip since March, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The UNRWA statement, released yesterday, reveals that the fatal shooting by Israeli snipers of a Palestinian child on 28 September brought to 13 the total number of UNRWA students who have been killed since 30 March 2018 in the context of the “Great March of Return” protests.

“Many other children enrolled in UNRWA schools have been wounded in the demonstrations,” the statement added.

The statement further noted that between 31 March and 30 September, UNRWA’s 22 health centres across the occupied Gaza Strip “have provided 4,104 consultations for injuries sustained in the protests, more than 770 of which related to children”.

READ: 137 Palestinians killed in Gaza’s Great Marches of Return

Some 86 per cent of these have been gunshot injuries, “often resulting in serious bodily harm”.

“Wounds can be dressed. But for casualties of such violence and all involved in their care, the effects are lasting; rehabilitation is often long, costly and uncertain,” UNRWA added.

“UNRWA deplores the loss of life and the devastating impact that the deaths and injuries have on individuals and families. Every effort must be made to protect more effectively those who are exposed to this tragic situation,” the statement continued.

The UN agency further stressed that “in recent months, the deepening humanitarian crisis has further ravaged the Gaza Strip and stretched an already fragile health system to breaking point.”