Children return to school in war-torn Gaza after nearly three years

Children in Palestine's Gaza Strip started a new school session on Saturday after nearly three years of war. Children arrived to study in destroyed schools, makeshift education centers and tents. In the meantime, a picture of extensive damage to the education infrastructure along with the lack of desks, books and stationery in schools emerged. In Nasirat refugee camp in central Gaza, parents brought their children to a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Here the children lined up for the morning assembly. Some children had to sit on the floor of the class to study because there were not enough desks. A UNRWA teacher said that despite the re-opening of schools, there is still a shortage of basic educational materials. "After the war, we don't have many things today, which we should have. We should have desks, stationery and books. These items are urgently needed to make up for the loss of children's education due to the war," he said.
"Our children woke up very early this morning. They don't know what school is, what morning assembly is or what normal life is like. All they've seen is bombing and war," said Umm Ali Hamida, who arrived with her child at school in Nasirat.
He said that his son was three years old when the war started and now he is six years old and going to the first grade. "We used to send him to private tutors for studies, but nothing can replace schooling," he said.
In Gaza City, children arrived at education centers set up in tents with the help of UNICEF. At these centers, children lined up for morning assembly and then studied in makeshift classrooms set up in tents.