Middle East: Despite living amid widespread destruction and displacement, children in Gaza have begun returning to makeshift classrooms after more than two years of Zionist aggression that leveled schools and homes across the Strip. Many students now attend lessons inside tents erected on dusty ground or inside severely damaged buildings, with no books, desks, or basic school materials.

In Gaza City’s Al-Rimal neighborhood, the “Al-Lulua Al-Qatami” school reopened this week inside a partially destroyed old building, receiving around 900 students in temporary classrooms—many of them simple tents set up in shattered rooms. The school had remained closed since the onset of the aggression on October 7, 2023.

Eleven-year-old Layan Hajji walks over half an hour every morning from her tent in Tel Al-Hawa to the new improvised school. With no bag or books—destroyed along with Gaza’s libraries—she says: “The streets are full of rubble and stones. It’s hard and sad, but I’m happy to learn again. I want to become a doctor.”

Following the cessation of hostilities, UNRWA and the Gaza Ministry of Education announced a gradual return to schooling in areas outside the Israeli enemy’s military control. However, the humanitarian conditions remain severe.

Sixteen-year-old Saeed Sheldan describes daily life as a mix of relief and hardship: “I’m happy the aggression stopped and I’m back at school, but every morning I fetch water and stand in line for bread. We’ve been displaced dozens of times and no longer have a home.”

School principal Iman Al-Hanawi says children continue to suffer deep psychological trauma: “During the aggression, they collected firewood, carried water, and stood in long queues for food. We hope to secure free books and stationery as soon as possible.” She added that teachers are adopting creative methods to ease the emotional strain—such as turning math lessons into group competitions and transforming the schoolyard into a space for comic plays and poetry readings.

Educational project director Faisal Al-Qassas explained that efforts began “from zero,” establishing a learning center capable of hosting 900 students in two shifts, while focusing on psychosocial support and non-formal activities to help children readapt to schooling.

A Collapsed Education Sector

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini reported that more than 25,000 students have joined “temporary learning spaces,” while 300,000 others will continue their studies online. Gaza has over 758,000 school-aged children, according to the Ministry of Education.

During the aggression, 97 percent of Gaza’s schools were damaged, with many struck directly. Large numbers of Palestinians were killed in or near school buildings—often used as shelters—due to repeated and deliberate Zionist attacks.

Local Initiatives Fight to Keep Education Alive

In the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, local initiatives are setting up improvised educational spaces. The “Restore Hope to Gaza” project—implemented by Education Above All in cooperation with UN agencies—aims to assist more than 100,000 students by providing tents, electricity, internet, psychological support, and learning materials.

Hazem Abu Habib, director of one initiative, said classes are limited to four core subjects: Arabic, English, science, and mathematics. “We are trying to save what can be saved,” he said, warning that Gaza faces its most perilous educational crisis ever. “Gaza once had zero illiteracy. Now we fear an entire generation could lose its future.”

Despite the hardships, children remain defiant. “I’ll keep fighting to succeed,” says Saeed. “Education is the gateway to the future.”

Two years after the devastating Zionist aggression on Gaza, the education sector remains almost entirely destroyed. With 97 percent of schools damaged or rendered unusable—many turned into overcrowded shelters—tens of thousands of displaced children face the impossible task of continuing their education without books, supplies, or safe learning spaces. Local and international organizations are racing to provide temporary alternatives, but the scale of destruction threatens an entire generation’s right to education.