A Gazan teen, once aspiring to be a physician, now simply yearns for survival.
The 2023 Israel-Gaza conflict has left a profound and lasting impact on the education system in the Gaza Strip, particularly affecting the lives of thousands of students.
Schools across Gaza have been severely affected, with nearly all of them either damaged or destroyed during the conflict. By late February 2025, 403 out of 564 school buildings were directly hit and sustained damage, and by June 2024, it was reported that about 75% of Gaza's educational infrastructure had been damaged.
The conflict has also resulted in a significant number of student deaths and injuries. By March 2024, the Ministry of Education reported that over 5,800 students had been killed. Thousands more were wounded, making it difficult for many to continue their education due to displacement and lack of infrastructure.
The disruption to education has been particularly challenging for higher education institutions, with all of them being damaged. Major universities like Al-Azhar University have suffered extensive damage, affecting approximately 87,000 university students. The conflict has also led to the loss of over 100 academics, further exacerbating the loss of educational resources and expertise.
For younger children, the war has meant missing out on basic skills like reading and simple arithmetic. For older students, advanced subjects, graduation exams, and college applications have all been put on hold. The closure of schools has also removed a key social outlet for young people as they grapple with war, hunger, and displacement.
One student, Ola Shaban, a civil engineering student, tried to continue her studies online but gave up due to lack of internet, continuous displacement, and fear. Another student, Sarah Qanan, an 18-year-old from the Gaza Strip, was a high school student preparing for final exams and dreaming of becoming a doctor two years ago. However, her family has been displaced multiple times and is now living in a tent. When an Israeli airstrike destroyed their home in early 2024, she dug through the rubble in search of her books, but "there was nothing left."
The conflict has also had a significant impact on mental health and psychosocial support. Nearly all of the 1.1 million children in Gaza require such support, and experts warn that the conflict may create a "lost generation" of Palestinian children, as their education has been set back by several years.
The U.N. children's agency estimates that nearly 90% of schools will need substantial reconstruction before they can function again. Ibrahim Qanan, a local journalist, states that the war has turned his family's life upside down and buried their dreams and hopes in the rubble of their home.
The conflict started in October 2023, and since then, schools have been suspended and transformed into crowded shelters. Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people in an Oct. 7 attack and are still holding 50 hostages, less than half of whom are believed to be alive. Israel's bombardment and ground operations have killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced 90% of Gaza's population.
As the conflict continues, the future of education in Gaza remains uncertain, and the long-term impact on the psychological well-being of Palestinian students is a significant concern.
- Seattle-based technology company Microsoft has announced a partnership with the Gaza government to provide virtual classroom solutions, aiming to help rebuild the education system that was devastated by the 2023 Israel-Gaza conflict.
- In the realm of international politics, there have been ongoing debates about the role of governments in support of education-and-self-development initiatives, with the severe damage to Gaza's education infrastructure serving as a key example in these discussions.
- As the general news landscape continues to evolve, journalists like Ibrahim Qanan in Gaza share firsthand accounts of the impact of politics on education, highlighting the struggles of students like Ola Shaban and Sarah Qanan, whose dreams have been disrupted by the ongoing conflict.
