In the Palestinian territories, classes resumed on Monday, but after 11 months of nonstop fighting, Gaza's schools are still closed. Students are unable to resume their regular schedules due to the absence of a ceasefire.
Israel has ordered people in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate amid the ongoing conflict, in response to recent missile fire into southern Israel. In the area, everyday life and education have been further disturbed by this increase.
Moataz, Umm Zaki's fifteen-year-old son, was scheduled to begin the tenth grade, but instead of going to school, he spent the day obtaining water from a far-off source. His mother conveyed the anguish and hopelessness that many people experience, wishing just for the battle to end.
All of Gaza's schools are closed since Israel's military strikes have damaged or destroyed 90% of the city's educational facilities, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education. The demolishment of educational buildings has hurt children's ability to go back to school.
The UN agency responsible for Palestinian relief in Gaza, UNRWA, oversees almost half of the city's schools. In an emergency, UNRWA has converted several of these into temporary homes for displaced families. The lengthy school closures are causing concerns regarding the long-term effects on children's education and development.
Juliette Touma, the director of communications for UNRWA, issued a warning that protracted school closures may have detrimental effects, including a rise in the likelihood of child exploitation through child work and marriage. In shelters, initiatives are being undertaken to reduce these hazards through a variety of instructional programs.
This year, 58,000 six-year-olds in Gaza were supposed to begin first grade, on top of the 625,000 registered students in the area. The magnitude of the disturbance highlights Gaza's dire educational predicament.
With the goal of promoting children's mental health, UNRWA started a back-to-learning program in 45 shelters last month. The program includes games, arts and crafts, and music. With the continuous violence, this program seeks to maintain some semblance of continuity in schooling.
Residents in northern Gaza are required to leave their houses in accordance with Israel's most recent order of evacuation due to the continuous rocket assaults. The region has been designated as a hazardous battle zone by the Israeli military.
The UN has also demanded that children in northern Gaza under the age of ten receive polio vaccinations. This comes after the first case of polio in the region in almost 25 years was found.
640,000 youngsters have been the target of a vaccination effort that has been carried out during brief breaks in hostilities. More than half of the children in Gaza's south and center have been reached by the campaign, and more efforts are being planned for the north.
On Monday, UNRWA reported that 450,000 children had been vaccinated as part of the campaign. A second round of vaccinations is planned to ensure comprehensive coverage.
As the violence in Gaza worsens, Israeli airstrikes have claimed the lives of one person in Khan Younis and seven people in central Gaza. Using a range of weapons, Israeli troops have engaged in combat with Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters.
Several militants, including top leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas, are said to have died as a result of the Israeli force's targeting and destruction of military infrastructure.
When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, it resulted in heavy losses and the kidnapping of hostages, marking the start of the war. The Israeli response that followed caused significant casualties as well as extensive damage in Gaza.
The ongoing hostilities and lack of a resolution, which have prevented the conflict from ending in a truce, are attributed by both parties to one another.
The ongoing fighting in Gaza is worsening the humanitarian situation, which affects millions of people's access to basic living conditions, healthcare, and education. The international community continues to urge that peace be established and that the carnage cease.
