45,000 Palestinian children can’t start school as Israel decimates Gaza

As children across the globe begin their first year of school, at least 45,000 six-year-olds in Gaza are denied this opportunity, with most struggling to survive each day, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports.

In Gaza, the new school year has not started as Israel’s war on Gaza continues to severely impact students, teachers, and schools.

The children unable to start first grade in Gaza are among 625,000 other children who have already missed a full school year and are at significant risk of missing a second year of education.

While data compiled by different agencies reveal the stark horror facing Gaza’s children, the UN has highlighted Israel’s indiscriminate targeting of educational institutes.

“Children in Gaza have lost their homes, family members, friends, safety, and routine,” said UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director Adele Khodr.

“They have also lost the sanctuary and stimulation provided by school, putting their bright futures at risk of being dimmed by this terrible conflict.”

Since October 2023, every school in Gaza has remained closed, leaving 39,000 students unable to complete their final year or take the crucial Tawjihi exams—a first in decades for the region.

In Palestine, the Tawjihi exams are crucial for completing high school and deciding a student's future educational opportunities. Since October, approximately 800,000 students in Gaza have been denied their right to education, as reported by the Governmental Media Office.

A future lost

For older students, the extended disruption has led to deep uncertainty and anxiety. Without access to education, many face heightened risks of exploitation, child labour and possibility of dropping out for good.

For younger children, the lack of schooling poses a serious threat to their cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Parents report alarming mental health struggles, with children becoming increasingly frustrated, isolated, and distressed as their educational and emotional needs go unmet.

Children in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are not exempt from the challenges as the new school year begins as the Israeli attacks have escalated in recent weeks.

Since October 2023, rising violence and increased movement restrictions have created additional obstacles for the 782,000 students in the area, UNICEF reports.

“Data from the Ministry of Education and the Education Cluster suggests that, on any day since October 2023, between 8 and 20 percent of schools in the West Bank have been closed.”

Even when schools are open, many students have been forced to stay home due to fear of violence, mobility restrictions, and mental health issues, further contributing to learning loss, UNICEF added.

“In Gaza, at least 84 percent of schools require full reconstruction or significant rehabilitation before schooling can resume. In the West Bank including East Jerusalem, there have been 69 attacks on schools and 2,354 incidents affecting schools, students and teachers in or around schools, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education,” UNICEF reports.

“We must find ways to restart learning and rebuild schools to uphold the right to education of the next generations in the State of Palestine,” Khodr said.

“Gaza’s children have endured unimaginable horrors – they deserve an immediate ceasefire and a chance for a peaceful future,” UNICEF added.