Gaza Children Return to Classes After Nearly Two Years Away

In Gaza City, children are returning to classrooms for the first time in nearly two years, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in October 2023. Classes are now being held in makeshift tents set up among the ruins of the Lulwa Abdel Wahab al-Qatami School, which was heavily damaged during the conflict. The school was struck by Israeli air attacks in January 2024 and later served as a shelter for displaced families before being transformed into a temporary learning center.

With more than 97 percent of schools in Gaza reported as damaged or destroyed during the war, the educational landscape has been severely disrupted. According to UNICEF, this has left approximately 658,000 school-aged children without formal education for almost two years. Many children faced challenges such as hunger, displacement, and personal loss during this period.

Fourteen-year-old Naeem al-Asmaar, who previously attended the Lulwa school, expressed that returning to class has provided some semblance of normalcy after enduring significant personal tragedy. He lost his mother in an Israeli airstrike during the conflict. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” he said. “Before the war, school was in real classrooms. Now it’s tents. We study only four subjects and there isn’t enough space, but being here matters.”

Another student, Rital Alaa Harb, a ninth-grader with aspirations of becoming a dentist, shared her experiences of disruption. “There was no time to study, no schools. I missed my friends and my old school,” she said. The temporary school, operated by UNICEF, accommodates children from the original Lulwa school as well as others displaced by the fighting. Currently, lessons are limited to Arabic, English, mathematics, and science, falling short of the full Palestinian curriculum.

Dr Mohammed Saeed Schheiber, the school’s principal with 24 years of educational experience, emphasized the initiative’s aim to help students recover lost learning time. “We started with determination to compensate students for what they lost,” he stated. At present, about 1,100 pupils attend the facility, which operates across three daily shifts with boys and girls attending on alternating days. The school is staffed by only 24 teachers and functions without electricity, internet access, or basic educational resources.

Dr Schheiber noted that every student has been affected by the war, with over 100 children losing one or both parents, or witnessing violence. A counsellor has been brought in to provide psychological support, but demand far exceeds available resources. “There is a large displacement camp next to the school,” he explained. “Many children want to enroll, but we simply cannot take them.”

Parents are expressing a mix of relief and anxiety about their children returning to school. Huda Bassam al-Dasouki, a mother of five displaced from southern Rimal, discussed the rising costs associated with education. “A notebook that cost one shekel before the war now costs five,” she said. “Some children have fallen four years behind. My son can’t read or write properly.”

UNICEF has pointed out that restrictions on aid entering Gaza have exacerbated the situation. Spokesman Jonathan Crickx commented on the critical shortages, stating, “Essential school supplies and mental health kits remain largely unavailable. Paper, notebooks, pens and recreational kits for psychosocial support have not been allowed in.” Meanwhile, Israel claims to be fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire and facilitating increased aid deliveries, a statement disputed by the United Nations and various humanitarian organizations.

Despite ongoing challenges, including continued Israeli airstrikes, the resilience of students and educators shines through. Teacher Kholoud Habib highlighted the importance of education for Palestinian families. “We lose homes, money and everything else,” she said. “But knowledge is the one investment we can still give our children.”

As classes resume, the journey ahead remains fraught with difficulties, but for many, the return to school represents a critical step towards rebuilding lives and futures.