Israeli forces destroy three more schools in south Lebanon

Israel razed three schools to the ground in southern Lebanon, continuing a pattern of destruction that has seen entire towns wiped out by invading military forces. Education Minister Rima Karami told Lebanese media on Friday that Israeli soldiers looted the schools before wiring up the buildings with explosives and reducing them to "piles of ashes". She said the schools were located in Bint Jbeil and Khiam, two cities in the south that have been almost totally destroyed by Israeli forces. A recent assessment by the ministry found that 340 schools across the country have been damaged in the. recent conflict, including 17 that were completely destroyed. The latest demolitions bring the number to at least 20. As Israel continues to pound the south of the country, hundreds of schools have also been converted into shelters to house displaced people, disrupting education for thousands of students. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) said last month that as many as 500,000 children remain without access to education because of the war. Meanwhile, UNICEF has warned that at least 100,000 children may not be able to return to start the next. academic year in September unless urgent measures are taken to repair damaged schools. Karami said the targeting of the country's education system is taking place "before the eyes of the entire world", despite schools being protected under international humanitarian law. "Expressions of condemnation and denunciation are no longer enough to express the pain and sadness over the ongoing aggression," she said. At least 4,324 people have been killed and another 12,223 wounded in Israeli attacks since the beginning of March, according to Lebanese health authorities. Around 250 of those killed were children. Israel's assault has triggered the country's most severe displacement crisis in decades, forcing more than one million people to flee their homes. Lebanon and Israel signed a US-backed framework agreement on 26 June, which reduced the intensity of Israeli attacks.