By Erizia Rubyjeana | Africa Live News
For the first time in nearly two years, the sound of children reciting lessons has returned to parts of Gaza City, signalling a fragile but deeply symbolic step toward normalcy after prolonged conflict. Following the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, pupils are once again gathering for classes—this time not in traditional classrooms, but inside tents erected among the ruins of what were once thriving schools.
In the Tel al-Hawa area of south-west Gaza City, lessons are being held on the grounds of the Lulwa Abdel Wahab al-Qatami School. The school was struck by Israeli air attacks in January 2024 and later served as a shelter for displaced families during the height of the war. Today, it has been repurposed into a temporary learning centre, with makeshift tents standing where concrete classrooms once did.
Inside these tents, teachers write English letters and basic Arabic words on improvised boards as children crowd together on benches and mats. The setting is far from ideal, but for many families, it represents hope—an opportunity for children to reconnect with education after months marked by displacement, trauma and loss.
According to , more than 97 per cent of schools in Gaza were damaged or destroyed during the conflict. As a result, an estimated 658,000 school-aged children were left without access to formal education for almost two years. During this time, many children faced severe hunger, repeated displacement and the deaths of parents or close relatives.
Fourteen-year-old Naeem al-Asmaar is among those returning to class at the damaged Lulwa school. Before the war, he studied in proper classrooms with desks and textbooks. During the conflict, his life changed forever when his mother was killed in an Israeli air strike.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” Naeem said quietly. “Before the war, school was in real classrooms. Now it’s tents. We study only four subjects and there isn’t enough space, but being here matters. It makes me feel like life can still continue.”
Another student, Rital Alaa Harb, a ninth-grade pupil who dreams of becoming a dentist, said the war completely derailed her education and childhood. For months, there were no schools to attend and no time or space to study.
“There was no time to learn, no schools at all,” she said. “I missed my friends and my old school. Coming back reminds me of who I wanted to be before the war.”
The temporary school is operated by UNICEF and serves children from the original Lulwa school, as well as others displaced from surrounding neighbourhoods. However, the scope of education remains limited. Lessons currently cover only Arabic, English, mathematics and science, falling short of the full Palestinian curriculum.
Dr Mohammed Saeed Schheiber, the school’s principal and a veteran educator with 24 years of experience, said the initiative was launched with a clear purpose: to help children regain lost learning time and rebuild discipline and routine.
“We started with determination to compensate students for what they lost,” Dr Schheiber said. “Education is not only about books. It is about restoring structure, hope and dignity to children who have seen too much.”
The facility currently accommodates about 1,100 pupils, operating across three daily shifts. Boys and girls attend on alternating days to manage overcrowding. Only 24 teachers are available, and the school functions without electricity, internet access or adequate educational materials.
Dr Schheiber noted that every child enrolled has been affected by the war in some way. More than 100 students have lost one or both parents, had their homes destroyed, or witnessed violence firsthand. While a counsellor has been assigned to provide psychological support, the needs far exceed available resources.
“There is a large displacement camp next to the school,” he said. “Many children want to enrol, but we simply do not have the capacity to accept them.”
Parents say the reopening of schools brings mixed emotions—relief that their children can learn again, and anxiety over the immense challenges that remain. Huda Bassam al-Dasouki, a mother of five displaced from southern Rimal, said education has become increasingly difficult due to shortages and rising costs.
“A notebook that cost one shekel before the war now costs five,” she explained. “Some children have fallen four years behind. My son still struggles to read and write properly.”
UNICEF has warned that restrictions on aid entering Gaza are compounding the crisis. The organisation’s spokesperson, Jonathan Crickx, said essential school supplies and mental health support materials remain largely unavailable.
“Paper, notebooks, pens and recreational kits for psychosocial support have not been allowed in,” he said, describing the situation as critical for children’s recovery.
Israel maintains that it is meeting its obligations under the ceasefire and facilitating increased aid deliveries. This claim, however, is disputed by the United Nations and several humanitarian agencies, which say access remains inconsistent and insufficient. Despite the truce, Israeli air strikes have continued, with Israel citing alleged violations by Hamas.
Yet, amid uncertainty and hardship, children continue to attend classes.
For teacher Kholoud Habib, their determination is a powerful reminder of the value Palestinians place on education, even in the darkest circumstances.
“We lose homes, money and everything else,” she said. “But knowledge is the one investment we can still give our children. As long as they keep coming to school, there is hope.”
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