Gaza Schools Remain Closed as War Continues, No Ceasefire in Sight

A Palestinian student walks between the rubble, as war disrupts a new school year, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, September 4, 2024

CAIRO, Sept 9 (Reuters) – The new school year officially began on Monday in the Palestinian territories, but schools in Gaza remain closed as the region endures its eleventh month of war. With no ceasefire in sight, Gaza’s education system is in turmoil, and children are left displaced and unable to attend classes.

In a continuation of its military operations in Gaza, Israel issued new evacuation orders to residents of northern Gaza in response to ongoing rocket fire from the territory. One such family, including 15-year-old Moataz, who was set to begin tenth grade, has been forced to live in a tent in Deir al-Balah. Instead of attending school, Moataz was sent to retrieve water from a kilometer away. "This should have been a day of celebration with children in new uniforms," his mother, Umm Zaki, told Reuters. "Now, we just hope the war ends before we lose any of them."

The Palestinian Education Ministry reported that all schools in Gaza have been closed, with 90% of them damaged or destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which operates about half of Gaza’s schools, has converted many of these facilities into emergency shelters for displaced families. The ongoing conflict has forced almost the entire population of Gaza, some 2.3 million people, to flee their homes, with some having to evacuate multiple times.

UNRWA Director of Communications Juliette Touma warned that the longer children remain out of school, the greater the risk of them becoming a "lost generation" susceptible to exploitation, including child labor and recruitment into armed groups. The agency has set up back-to-learning programs in 45 shelters, engaging children in activities aimed at preserving their mental health.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continued its offensive, killing seven people in central Gaza and one in Khan Younis during airstrikes on Monday. The war, which began on October 7 following a Hamas attack on Israel, has claimed the lives of more than 40,900 Palestinians, with both sides blaming each other for the ongoing violence and the failure to secure a ceasefire.