Gaza’s children begin to reclaim classrooms amid ruins of war

In the battered heart of Gaza, where homes, hospitals, and schools bear the scars of relentless conflict, faint signs of life are beginning to stir once more. After two years of unceasing devastation, the Palestinian enclave’s fragile rhythm of daily existence is slowly being restored, with classrooms — long silent under the shadow of war — opening their doors to a new generation of students determined to reclaim their futures.

Four weeks into the United States-brokered ceasefire, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is spearheading efforts to resume education across the territory. Since October 2023, more than 300,000 students under UNRWA’s care were denied formal schooling, as 97 per cent of the agency’s school buildings lay damaged or destroyed. What were once centers of learning now serve as temporary shelters for displaced families, their mattresses and makeshift bedding filling the classrooms where desks once stood.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum captured the poignant scene of families sharing confined classrooms with children eager to study amid the rubble. Inam al-Maghari, a young student returning to school, spoke of the profound disruption to her education: "I used to study before, but we have been away from school for two years. I didn’t complete my second and third grades, and now I’m in fourth grade, but I feel like I know nothing. Today, we brought mattresses instead of desks to sit and study."

Despite the chaos, UNRWA is pressing forward. Enas Hamdan, head of UNRWA’s communication office, said, “We strive to provide face-to-face education through temporary safe learning spaces for more than 62,000 students in Gaza. We are expanding these activities across 67 sheltering schools throughout the Strip, while continuing online education for 300,000 children.”

The resilience of Gaza’s people is vividly evident in the sacrifices of displaced families. Um Mahmoud, whose household occupies a classroom turned shelter, explained how they vacate the space three times a week to allow children to learn:

"We vacate the classrooms to give the children a chance to learn because education is vital. We’re prioritising learning and hope that conditions will improve, allowing for better quality of education."

Yet the shadow of war lingers. Psychologists warn that over 80 percent of children in Gaza now exhibit symptoms of severe trauma. UNICEF estimates that more than 64,000 children have been killed or injured in the conflict, with one million enduring daily horrors in what is considered the world’s most dangerous place to be a child. Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa regional director, describes the harrowing reality: "They carry wounds of fear, loss, and grief — scars that go far beyond what can be seen."

Amid the ruins, the children of Gaza cling to hope, their tiny hands tracing letters on battered desks, their voices rising above the echoes of destruction. For them, education is not just learning — it is survival, resilience, and the quiet defiance of a childhood interrupted but not surrendered.