In Gaza City, the sounds of children learning and playing are slowly returning. Makeshift classrooms set up in tents are bustling, noisy, and lively, with a sense of controlled chaos. Some teachers guide students through lessons on boards filled with English letters, while others encourage pupils to practice writing basic Arabic words. It is far from a typical school day, but following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in October, it represents a crucial first step toward normalcy.
After two years of conflict, the familiar hum of lessons and chatter of classmates now echoes around the remnants of Lulwa Abdel Wahab al-Qatami School in Tel al-Hawa, south-west Gaza City. The school was hit by airstrikes in January 2024, and for months, its grounds served as a shelter for families displaced by the war. Today, despite the devastation, it has reopened as a place for learning, even if only in a basic form.
Students walk in straight lines, their small arms resting on each other’s shoulders, smiling as they enter the temporary classrooms. For many, this marks the first time they have returned to a routine of study since the outbreak of the war.
According to UNICEF, over 97% of schools in Gaza were either damaged or destroyed during the conflict. While the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have claimed that Hamas uses civilian infrastructure, including schools, for operations, little concrete evidence has been provided.
Read more: Gaza Peace Agreement: All You Need to Know
Of Gaza’s 658,000 school-aged children, the majority have gone nearly two years without formal education. During this period, many have experienced hunger, displacement, and loss firsthand. Now, amid the ruins, a fragile return of normal childhood routines is emerging—a brief but meaningful glimpse of the education, joy, and stability these children were forced to forfeit during the years of conflict.
