After Two Years of War, Gaza Children Return to School in Tents

After Two Years of War, Gaza Children Return to School in Tents

For the first time in nearly two years, the sound of learning has returned to parts of Gaza City, as Palestinian children resume classes in makeshift schools following the Israel–Hamas ceasefire.

Amid the rubble of the destroyed Lulwa Abdel Wahab al-Qatami School in the Tel al-Hawa area of south-western Gaza City, tents now serve as classrooms where pupils once again study Arabic, English, mathematics and science. Though far from normal, the return marks a fragile step toward restoring education in Gaza after prolonged war.

The school was bombed in January 2024 and later used as a shelter for displaced families. Today, it hosts more than 1,100 students, many of whom are returning to a learning routine for the first time since the conflict began.

According to UNICEF, over 97 per cent of schools in Gaza were damaged or destroyed during the war, leaving most of the enclave’s 658,000 school-aged children without formal education for almost two years. Many children have endured displacement, hunger and trauma, with education now offering a rare sense of stability.

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Fourteen-year-old Naeem al-Asmaar, who lost his mother during an Israeli air strike, said returning to school has helped him cope. “It’s not the same as before,” he said. “Now it’s tents and fewer subjects. But being here matters. School fills my time.”

Another student, Rital Alaa Harb, hopes to become a dentist but says the war disrupted her education completely. “There were no schools. No time to study. I missed my friends and my old school,” she said.

The temporary school, operated by UNICEF, runs in three shifts daily, with boys and girls attending on alternate days due to limited space. Only 24 teachers serve the entire population, and facilities such as electricity, internet, laboratories and learning materials are absent.

The school’s principal, Dr Mohammed Saeed Schheiber, said every student has been affected by the war. “More than 100 pupils lost one or both parents or had their homes destroyed,” he said, adding that psychological support sessions are now part of the school routine.

Parents welcome the return to education but worry about costs and shortages. Huda Bassam al-Dasouki, a mother of five, said school supplies have become unaffordable. “A notebook that cost one shekel before the war now costs five,” she said.

UNICEF spokesman Jonathan Crickx said restrictions on aid entering Gaza have worsened the situation, citing shortages of books, stationery and mental health kits. While Israel says it is facilitating aid under the ceasefire, the UN and humanitarian agencies dispute this claim.

Despite ongoing Israeli air strikes in response to alleged Hamas violations, children continue to attend classes.

For teacher Kholoud Habib, the determination of students is a powerful message. “Education is our foundation,” she said. “We lose homes, money and everything else—but knowledge is the one thing we can still give our children.”

After Two Years of War, Gaza Children Return to School in Tents