How Gaza's students are still learning despite shattered schools and displacement

Key Concepts

• Educational Displacement: The collapse of formal schooling infrastructure due to conflict, forcing education into tents and damaged buildings.
• Psychological Trauma: The loss of childhood innocence and the premature burden of survival (securing food/water) placed on children.
• Infrastructure Destruction: The systematic damage to 97% of Gaza’s schools.
• Humanitarian Crisis: The intersection of starvation, rodent infestations, and the lack of basic resources.
• Resilience and Agency: The persistent desire of children and parents to prioritize education despite life-threatening conditions.

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1. The State of Education in Gaza

The educational landscape in Gaza has been decimated by nearly three years of conflict. Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli military response, the school system has effectively collapsed.

• Infrastructure: According to the United Nations, over 97% of schools in the Gaza Strip have been damaged or destroyed.
• Learning Environments: Education now occurs in makeshift settings, including tents, damaged buildings, and overcrowded shelters.
• Capacity Issues: Due to the lack of space and resources, most children can only attend classes for a few hours, three days a week. Schools that remain open are often overcrowded, with demand far exceeding the available capacity.
• Environmental Hazards: Students often sit on the ground, which is frequently flooded or unsanitary. Schools remain active targets; the report notes instances where schools were damaged by strikes on adjacent residential buildings, forcing immediate evacuations.

2. The Burden of Survival on Children

The conflict has fundamentally altered the developmental trajectory of Gaza’s youth.

• Loss of Innocence: Children are no longer focused on play or toys; their primary cognitive load is dedicated to survival—securing water and food.
• Daily Routine: A typical day for a child involves long hours spent collecting scarce water and waiting in lines at soup kitchens, followed by attempts to study at night using solar-powered lamps.
• Parental Perspective: Mirhad al-Hamlawi, a father, notes that "learning competes with survival," emphasizing that the starvation and displacement have forced children to confront realities far beyond their years.

3. Case Studies and Human Impact

• Kadi (11 years old): A student who uses a solar-powered lamp to study in a room with a shattered wall and a tarp roof. Despite the trauma, she remains determined to study, driven by the hope of traveling and seeing Gaza become safe again.
• Mahmoud Khala (38 years old): A survivor of a December 2023 strike that killed at least 39 people, including his entire family. His story highlights the long-term, grueling process of recovery, as he continues to dig through rubble with his bare hands to find and bury the remains of his loved ones.

4. Humanitarian and Health Crisis

The report highlights that the trauma extends beyond the immediate battlefield:

• Rodent Infestations: Worsening living conditions and the accumulation of debris have led to severe rodent infestations, adding a public health layer to the existing humanitarian crisis.
• Casualty Statistics: Since the October 2023 escalation, more than 21,000 children have been killed. Even following the October 2025 ceasefire, Israeli attacks have claimed the lives of an additional 229 children.

5. Notable Quotes

• James Elder (UNICEF Spokesperson): Described the "humiliating" reality of children queuing for food and water, noting that despite these conditions, parents remain desperate to get their children back into the classroom as a symbol of normalcy.
• Mirhad al-Hamlawi: "The starvation we went through gave our children harsh lessons for decades to come."
• Mahmoud Khala: "We dig through the rubble with our own hands to find the martyrs... we will not stop until we recover all the bodies and bury them properly."

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Synthesis and Conclusion

The situation in Gaza represents a profound humanitarian catastrophe where the youngest generation is being forced to navigate a landscape of total destruction. While the physical infrastructure of education has been almost entirely erased, the persistent efforts of children like Kadi to study under solar lamps demonstrate a powerful, albeit desperate, attempt to maintain a connection to the future. The combination of high mortality rates, the psychological toll of losing family members, and the daily struggle for basic sustenance creates a cycle of trauma that will likely impact the population for decades. Education, in this context, serves as a fragile but vital anchor for normalcy amidst a reality defined by displacement and loss.