‘We’re not studying anymore.’ Children in Gaza can’t go to school as Israel’s war disrupts a year of education

A tent in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, is decorated with multicoloured posters, white bunting and paper Palestinian flags. School backpacks full of clothes, small pillows and floral blankets are scattered on the ground.

More than a dozen boys and girls sit cross-legged in a makeshift classroom along the coastline, their eyes darting across a large whiteboard as they read, after their teacher, Oula Al Ghoul, gently encourages her students. The sound of Israeli drones buzzing overhead – a stark reminder of the fighting that has gripped the strip for more than 11 months.

“There is war, there is no school… Yet the children are eager to learn,” Al Ghoul told CNN. He decided to set up a primitive classroom inside the tent where he lives, just to give some first-grade students a chance to study.

“Parents even come and ask how their children are doing in terms of writing, whether they are making progress.”

But his initiative is an exception. While children in the Middle East are starting a new term, those in Gaza will not be able to return to school. The Israeli offensive, launched after the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, has caused a humanitarian crisis and halted education services in the besieged region.

At least 45,000 first-grade students will not be able to start school in Gaza Strip school yearAccording to UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Agency.

“First graders join 625,000 children who have already been denied an entire school year of education” and face the possibility of missing a second year of schooling, the agency said.

Israel’s bombing campaign has destroyed 123 schools and universities in Gaza, according to the Government Media Office (GMO). The GMO reported on Monday that at least 11,500 students up to the age of 18 and 750 teachers had been killed.

Earlier this year, UN blamed Israeli forces have called for the “systematic destruction” of the academic system in Gaza, citing independent experts, and called for the protection of schoolchildren. The IDF said the attacks on schools targeted Hamas militants and has previously insisted steps were taken to minimise harm to civilians. Hamas has denied deploying fighters to civilian infrastructure.

As hundreds of thousands of people flee Israeli bombardment, many schools have become makeshift shelters. Several Palestinian children told CNN that days spent learning have been replaced by a struggle to survive. Some have waited hours for water or food aid as the Israeli siege saps resources. Aid workers say displaced children’s camps are full of children with no safe space to play.

“I was longing to complete my studies and help my father support my family,” said Raghad Ezzat Hamouda, a 19-year-old English literature student displaced from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza. She told CNN on Friday that she had enrolled in a university course last fall, just before hostilities broke out.

“The war destroyed all my ambitions and there was nothing left.”

Israel launched its military offensive on October 7 after the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, launched an attack on southern Israel. At least 1,200 people have been killed and more than 250 abducted, according to Israeli officials.

Israel’s attacks on Gaza have since killed at least 41,182 Palestinians and injured more than 95,000, the Health Ministry reported on Thursday. CNN could not independently verify the figures.

‘No school, no books, nothing’

Dozens of Palestinian children in dusty shoes carry empty jerrycans at a makeshift shelter in Deir al-Balah, the sun shining on their faces as they line up to collect water aid for their families.

Inside a school run by UNRWA, the main UN agency for humanitarian aid in Palestine, children scream over inadequate resources. Flies buzz among the rows of displaced people scattered among rows of tents, clotheslines and old mattresses inside the sprawling facility. Israel’s offensive on Gaza has displaced 1.9 million people – almost the entire population, according to the UN.

“We used to study, we used to attend classes, we used to do homework, and our life was happy,” Maryam Shtawi, a young girl staying at the shelter, told CNN on Monday. “We were displaced by the war, and now there is no education, there is nothing else – no lessons. Our life has become about fetching water and collecting food. I want to learn.”

Nine-year-old Sajid told CNN he was supposed to start fourth grade. “There is no school anymore to learn. Schools have become shelters for displaced people,” he said. “Now we go and get water and buy things from the market. We don’t study anymore. If I had stayed in school, I would have grown up to be a famous doctor.”

No guarantee of safety for those sheltering in schools. At least 70% of schools run by UNRWA were hit during the war – 95% of which were used as shelters for displaced people – agency reported On September 9th.

At least 18 people, including UNRWA staff, were killed on Wednesday Killed in Israeli airstrike Gaza Civil Defense and hospital officials inspected the UN school, which has been converted into a shelter, in the Nusairat camp in central Gaza.

Israel Defense Forces He claimed the school “was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel.” UNRWA said its staff were teachers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described Israel’s attacks on the schools as “dramatic violations of international humanitarian law.”

Parents told CNN that children are being moved from one shelter to another. The lack of stability or routine will compound the psychological trauma for children who witness bloody scenes, lose loved ones or become orphans. war, According to UNICEF.

“The students’ situation is difficult; they need to learn immediately… Unfortunately, none of the students can write. There is no school, no books, nothing,” said teacher Mohammad Masoud. “Instead of being in their classes or universities, the students are either selling on the streets or queuing for water or food to try to help their families.”

Meanwhile, at least 19,000 children have been separated from their parents or caregivers, according to a UN report In August.

‘They are literally walking through garbage’

Further south, an aid worker in the town of Al-Mawasi in Khan Younis said children were running barefoot through streets strewn with garbage.

Liz Allcock, head of conservation at the UK-based non-governmental organisation Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), said some people were searching through piles of waste for items they could resell.

“There are kids everywhere,” Allcock said Friday. His testimony was provided to CNN by MAP. “Where else would they be? There are no real safe spaces for kids to play.

“I saw children with no shoes, bare feet, and garbage dumps as far as the eye could see. They were literally walking among garbage, plastic, and all kinds of waste. It was a very dangerous environment.”

Aid agencies say they are unable to provide adequate protection or shelter for children because of aid restrictions, attacks on humanitarian zones designated by Israel and repeated evacuation orders. In June, the UN added the Israeli army to a global list of abusers against childrenAccording to a diplomatic source, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad were also added to the list.

“This is a situation where there are more complex vulnerabilities than anywhere else I have worked as a humanitarian,” Allcock said.

“The actions of the Israeli military that have led to this situation – the denial of adequate aid, the bombardment and airstrikes on civilians and humanitarian areas – are a violation of every child’s right guaranteed under international law.”

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