Israel’s War on Gaza Disrupts Education for Over 630,000 Students

According to the United Nations, the ongoing Israeli genocidal war in Gaza has severely impacted education, with 85 percent of schools in the territory either destroyed or damaged after 11 months of Israeli bombardments.

Most of the remaining schools are being used as shelters for Palestinians who have lost their homes. However, some makeshift classes are still taking place, with children eager to resume their studies.

Umm Zaki’s 15-year-old son, Moataz, was supposed to start the 10th grade. Instead, he spent his morning in a tent in Deir el-Balah, fetching water from over a kilometer away.

“Usually, such a day would be a day of celebration, seeing the children in their new uniforms, going to school, and dreaming of becoming doctors and engineers,” Umm Zaki told Reuters. “Today, all we hope is that the war ends before we lose any of them.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Education confirmed that all schools in Gaza remain closed. They reported that 90 percent of the schools have been damaged or destroyed due to Israeli assaults that began in October.

Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications, emphasized the long-term impacts of this disruption: “The longer the children stay out of school, the more difficult it is for them to catch up on lost learning.”

For many children in Gaza, returning to school remains impossible. The Palestinian Ministry of Education reported that 10,490 students have been killed, and 16,700 wounded during the Israeli war.

In Khan Younis, Eman Ahmed, an orphaned child studying math in a tent for displaced families, shared her experience after losing her father. "Now I am living and studying here. Today, we are trying to remember what we started before the war, which has destroyed our future dreams," she said.

Another displaced child, Raheen Shareef Abed, expressed their determination despite the war. “By going to classes, we are defying all odds and are adamant to march forward despite the hard living conditions,” Abed said.

The Ministry of Education further detailed the grim situation: over 630,000 students have been denied education since October 7, 2023. Among them, 58,000 first-grade students were unable to start school, and 39,000 were prevented from taking high school exams.

More than 25,000 children have been killed or wounded in the war, including over 10,000 students. Around 90 percent of the 307 public school buildings have been destroyed.

Additionally, over 750 education employees have been killed, and thousands more injured in Israeli strikes, the ministry added. By the end of August, more than 11,500 school-age children had been killed, with many others suffering injuries or psychological trauma.

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor reported that Israeli forces have deliberately targeted 16 school buildings in the past month. The group also noted that 92 percent of school and administrative buildings are now out of service.

In total, more than 40,972 people have been killed, and 94,761 wounded in Israel’s war on Gaza, according to the latest reports.