Thousands of children in Gaza returned to in-person classes on Saturday (20) for the first time in almost three years. Students are accommodated in damaged or improvised school buildings and tents.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) states that 98% of schools in Gaza were destroyed or damaged during the war. Education authorities in Gaza indicate that around 660,000 students have been deprived of face-to-face teaching and regular participation in education.
The reopening is a fragile milestone for Gaza after a conflict that killed around 22,000 students and more than 770 education professionals, including 532 teachers, according to Ibrahim Ramadan, director of Education for Eastern Khan Younis.
"The last time I went to school was three years ago. Now, we are starting the school year; it is a year of joy, happiness and success," said Moayed Abu Mustafa in Khan Younis.
Mustafa said he is determined to learn, even if he has to sit on the floor of an unventilated tent, has no decent shoes, no notebook and pen, and has lost friends during the war.
“Despite all this, we will learn, we will learn even if it is in a tent.”
Samar Abu Salmi, a 15-year-old displaced student who lives with her family in a tent, is also returning to classes.
"We studied on our cell phones and didn't see our teachers. Now, we're back, chasing our dream, from one tent to another," she said, speaking in the courtyard of her new makeshift school.
She also lacks most of her essential school supplies, which have become inaccessible to her family.
“Before the war, everything was within our reach – notebooks, pens, products, clothes, trips, things we could buy for a low price,” said Salmi.
Despite the devastation in the enclave, the Ministry of Education, with the support of international and local organizations, continued the 2026-2027 school year, creating dozens of temporary schools made of tents, tarps, metal sheets and wood to accommodate students.
Some were built on sandy soil; others have classrooms with just a few mattresses and a blackboard, in which students huddle together. Others still shelter dozens of displaced families.
At another school was 14-year-old Yamen Abu Samra. "We used to wake up happy to go to school. Now, when we get to school, we are afraid of stray bullets, rockets, attacks, everything," he said.
“Now I'm sitting in a tent that has absolutely nothing but the sun and heat,” he added.
It is estimated that at least 540,000 students will attend in-person classes this year in improvised private schools, temporary learning centers and educational points, with the support of Unicef, according to education authorities.
Distance learning will continue for those who cannot attend classes or who left Gaza during the war.
Israeli forces continue to control more than 60% of Gaza despite last year's ceasefire, which halted major fighting but failed to end the conflict.
Palestinian authorities say more than 73,000 people were killed in Israel's assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023.
Stationery trader Khaled Aliyan, 30, said import restrictions imposed by Israel had reduced supplies and raised prices.
"This notebook, which used to cost 3 shekels [US$1], now costs 15 [shekels]. All stationery is expensive," he said.
