Gaza students return to schools for first time in three years: ‘Despite all of this we will learn’

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza children returned to in-person instruction on Saturday for the first time in nearly three years, gathering inside damaged buildings, makeshift structures, and tents despite severe shortages that have made basic pens, notebooks, and uniforms unaffordable.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 98 percent of Gaza’s schools were destroyed or damaged during the war, leaving an estimated 660,000 students without regular, face-to-face education, according to local education officials.

The tentative restart follows a conflict that killed roughly 22,000 pupils and more than 770 educational staff members, including 532 teachers, said Ibrahim Ramadan, director of education for East Khan Younis.

"The last time I have been to school was three years ago. Now, we are starting the school year, it is year of joy, happiness and success," said Moayed Abu Mustafa in Khan Younis.

Mustafa expressed his determination to study despite sitting on an unventilated tent floor without proper footwear, notebooks, or pens, having lost friends in the war.

"Despite all of this we will learn, we will learn even in a tent."

Displaced 15-year-old student Samar Abu Salmi, who resides with her family in a tent, has also resumed her education.

"We studied on phones and we haven’t seen our teachers... now, we are back pursuing our dream... from one tent to another," she said from the yard of her makeshift school.

She remains without essential items, which have become far too expensive for her family.

"Before the war, everything was available for us - notebooks, pens, goods, clothes, outings, things that we could get cheaply," Salmi said.

Despite extensive destruction in the enclave, the Ministry of Education, supported by local and international organizations, launched the 2026-27 academic year by constructing dozens of temporary facilities using canvas, wood, metal sheets, and tents.

Some stand on bare sand, while others contain classrooms holding only a blackboard and a few mattresses. Several sites continue to house displaced families.

Fourteen-year-old Yamen Abu Samra also attended class.

"We used to wake up happy to go to school... Now, when we come to school, we’re afraid of stray bullets, rockets, strikes, everything," he said.

"Now, I’m sitting in a tent that has absolutely nothing, just the sun and the heat," he added.

Officials estimate at least 540,000 pupils will attend in-person learning this year in temporary centers, makeshift private schools, and learning points backed by UNICEF. Remote education will continue for students unable to attend or living outside Gaza.

Israeli forces retain control of over 60 percent of Gaza despite last year's ceasefire, which ended major fighting without fully resolving the conflict.

Palestinian officials state more than 73,000 people died in Israel's offensive, launched after Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel in October 2023.

Stationery vendor Khaled Aliyan, 30, noted Israeli import restrictions have restricted supplies and driven up prices.

"This notebook, which used to cost 3 shekels ($1), now costs 15 (shekels). All stationery items are expensive," he said.

Israel's COGAT military agency did not respond to requests for comment regarding supply restrictions or strikes on educational sites. Israel repeatedly accuses Hamas of utilizing schools for military purposes, an allegation Hamas denies.