About 300,000 Palestinian students were set to resume classes in Gaza on Saturday under the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), officials say.
The resumption comes despite Israel’s blockade, which continues to prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in aid from entering the besieged territory.
UNRWA’s media advisor, Adnan Abu Hasna, said around 10,000 students will attend in-person classes in schools and shelters, while most will receive remote instruction. He added, “It is absolutely impossible to have two years without schooling, preceded by two years of Corona.”
Some 8,000 teachers will take part in the program, UNRWA said.
Schools in Gaza have been largely suspended since Israel’s military campaign began on October 7, 2023. Most UNRWA and government schools were converted into shelters, while many others were destroyed or heavily damaged.
The Palestinian Education Ministry reported that 172 government schools were destroyed, 118 damaged, and more than 100 UNRWA-run schools were struck.
It also said 17,711 students have been killed, 25,897 injured, and 763 education workers killed, with 3,189 others injured.
Abu Hasna said UNRWA had prepared hundreds of millions of dollars in supplies that remain stuck outside Gaza. He condemned Israel for blocking basic necessities, including shelter materials, blankets, winter clothing, and medicines.
He warned that 95% of Gaza’s population now depends on humanitarian aid and that conditions are deteriorating rapidly. “Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in the open after returning to Gaza City following the ceasefire on October 10.”
UNRWA, the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, has struggled to provide basic education and support for Palestinian children, making the resumption of classes a critical step in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
IMAGE CREDIT: Classroom in a temporary educational center in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip (AFP photo)
[ SOURCE: AL JAZEERA and AFP ]
