More than half a million Gaza children out of school for year: UNRWA

Over half a million children in Gaza have been out of school for a year with Israel’s brutal offensive collapsing the education system, leaving young people at risk of exploitation and psychological difficulties.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that the absence of education will leave children with long-term difficulties and make it harder to pick up learning again.

Some 625,000 students in Gaza have been without education for a full school year, a senior UN official said this week.

The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini said that Gaza’s children are at risk of “child labour, early marriage and recruitment by armed groups”.

In an interview with global fund Education Cannot Wait, Lazzarini said that the war will have “lasting consequences” on children’s mental well-being.

He noted that education is frequently disrupted for Gaza’s young people, considering how many conflicts the territory has suffered in the past ten years.

The issue is compounded by the damage to the schools. Eighty-five percent or 477 school buildings have been directly hit or damaged and require reconstruction, according to data from OCHA.

The report also states that 402 teaching staff and 9,565 students have died and thousands more injured.

Before the current war, education and career opportunities were limited for Gaza’s residents as a result of years of Israeli restrictions which made it hard for Palestinians to leave the impoverished enclave to study or work elsewhere.

Recovery efforts will also be difficult considering the large number of sick and wounded children. Medical workers have said scores of children have lost limbs and suffered horrific injuries from attacks. Lazarrini previously said that each day ten children would lose a limb in Gaza.

Officials have warned that Gaza’s post-war reconstruction could take years, raising questions over how children will receive schooling trapped in a territory with no schools.

Throughout the war, Israeli air strikes have hit several UNRWA schools - despite their internationally protected status - that had turned into makeshift displacement camps.

Lazzarini said nearly 70 percent of UNRWA schools had been hit, highlighting “the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law”.

Last Saturday, an Israeli air strike hit al-Tabeen school in Gaza City killing around 100 people, including the elderly and children, according to local health officials.

While the strike was condemned globally, Israel has shown no let-up in its relentless bombardment.

There have only been ten days without attacks since October due to failed attempts at a truce between Hamas and Israel.

UNRWA plays a vital role in providing education for Palestinian refugees not just in Gaza but also in the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

In August, the agency announced it was launching a “back to learning programme” for children in Gaza which will offer psychosocial support with art, music and support activities. It aims to restart formal education as soon as possible.

Children in Gaza make up half the population, over 1 million people. A devastating number have been orphaned throughout the war, charities have said.

Save the Children said in June that 21,000 children were estimated to be missing, lost, detained or buried under rubble. At least 17,000 of those are thought to be unaccompanied and separated.