Gaza children return to classrooms amid damaged schools and shortages

Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza have returned to in-person classes for the first time in nearly three years, attending damaged school buildings, temporary classrooms and tents amid shortages of basic supplies.

UNICEF says 98 per cent of schools in the Gaza Strip were damaged or destroyed during the conflict. Local education officials estimate about 660,000 students had been without regular in-person learning.

The Ministry of Education, supported by aid agencies, has established temporary schools using tarpaulins, sheet metal and wood. Some classrooms have only mattresses and a blackboard, while other schools remain occupied by displaced families.

Students who previously studied by phone are returning without essential items including notebooks, pens and proper shoes. A stationery trader said import restrictions had driven prices up fivefold.

The reopening follows an October 2025 ceasefire that halted large-scale fighting but did not resolve the conflict, according to the source. The source also reports that Israeli forces control more than 60 per cent of Gaza.