Fear of ‘Lost Generation’ as Gaza School Year Begins with All Classes Closed

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO – The new school year in the Palestinian territories commenced on Monday, but all schools in Gaza remain closed after nearly a year of conflict, with no signs of a ceasefire in sight.

As hostilities persist, Israel issued new evacuation orders to residents in the northern Gaza Strip following rocket fire aimed at Israel.

Umm Zaki’s 15-year-old son, Moataz, was supposed to start 10th grade, but instead, he awoke in a tent in Deir al-Balah and was tasked with fetching water from over a kilometer away.

"This day is usually filled with celebration, seeing children in their new uniforms, heading off to school, and dreaming of futures as doctors and engineers. Today, all we can do is hope that the war ends before we lose any of our children," she shared via text message.

The Palestinian Education Ministry reported that all schools in Gaza are closed, with 90% having been either destroyed or damaged following Israel’s military operations initiated after Hamas attacks in October of the previous year.

The U.N. Palestinian aid agency, which operates about half of Gaza’s educational institutions, has converted many schools into emergency shelters for thousands of displaced families.

Juliette Touma, the UNRWA Director of Communications, emphasized the dire consequences of prolonged school closures, warning that children may fall behind in their education and become vulnerable to exploitation, including child marriage and recruitment into armed groups.

In addition to the 625,000 students already registered, another 58,000 six-year-olds were expected to start first grade this year, according to the education ministry.

Recently, UNRWA launched a back-to-learning program in 45 of its shelters, engaging children in games and arts to support their mental health.

The humanitarian crisis continues, with nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents having been displaced at least once, and some multiple times.

Under the latest evacuation orders, residents of a northern Gaza area were instructed to leave amid ongoing rocket attacks on southern Israel.

The Israeli military warned that the specified area is considered a dangerous combat zone due to repeated attacks originating from that region.

The United Nations has called on parents in northern Gaza to bring their children under ten years old to medical facilities for polio vaccinations. Limited ceasefires have been arranged to support this vaccination drive, aiming to immunize 640,000 children following the emergence of Gaza’s first polio case in 25 years.

U.N. officials reported that the vaccination campaign reached over half of the targeted children in the southern and central regions of Gaza, with follow-up vaccinations scheduled for four weeks later.

As of Monday, approximately 450,000 children targeted for the vaccination had already received their doses. The campaign’s next phase in the north is anticipated to be particularly challenging.

On the same day, health officials confirmed that two separate Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of seven people in central Gaza, with another strike claiming one life in Khan Younis further south.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups reported engagements with Israeli forces utilizing anti-tank rockets and mortar fire across various Gaza locations.

The Israeli military stated that their operations have focused on dismantling militant infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of numerous militants, including several senior commanders from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The ongoing conflict, which erupted on October 7 after a Hamas attack on Israel, has led to the deaths of over 40,900 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza’s health ministry. The two sides continue to trade blame for the lack of a ceasefire that could potentially end the hostilities and secure the release of hostages.