"On the first morning of school, the streets were filled with students. Principals and teachers welcomed them at the gates. Children lined up for the morning assembly, enthusiastically doing their exercises before standing in reverence as the Palestinian flag flew above the school stage. Together they sang the national anthem, " Fida'i," ending with a salute to Palestine's martyrs and to the prisoners exiled to the darkness of Israeli prisons."
"They have been transformed from places of learning and positive energy into overcrowded shelters for the displaced. The Israeli occupation has not only deprived 660,000 students of their right to education by turning schools into shelters, but has also deliberately targeted school buildings, committing massacres within them. According to the United Nations, 97 percent of Gaza's school buildings have been destroyed."
"Nearly a year and a half into the war, the private center where I teach reopened its doors to register students. It has become a substitute-or shadow school-for children who have not held a pencil since October 7, and a ray of hope for parents desperate to save their children from the threat of illiteracy. This center, located in the middle of Gaza, looks nothing like a school."
Since October 7, 2023, schools in Gaza have been closed indefinitely and repurposed as overcrowded shelters for the displaced. The occupation has deprived approximately 660,000 students of their right to education and has deliberately targeted school buildings, including massacres inside school premises. The United Nations reports that 97 percent of Gaza's school buildings have been destroyed, affecting both government and UNRWA schools. By October 21, 2025, the Palestinian Education Ministry reported 19,910 students killed and more than 30,097 injured. A private center in central Gaza reopened as a substitute, offering registration and basic instruction to children who lost access to schooling.
Read at The Nation
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