Gaza’s new school year began on September 19th, with an estimated 541,000 students, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education. This is the first organized opening of schools since the war began in October 2023. Gaza Students Return Classrooms
It is the first opening of schools in coordination since the violence subsided following the Gaza ceasefire in October 2025, but disruptions to the educational process have continued.
Around 100,000 of the enrolled students attend UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugee-affiliated schools, and the ministry is running a two-track system, with classes held in person for those who can reach school or learning centres, and virtual classes for those who cannot, such as students who have fled outside of Gaza. Students are not permitted to register for both tracks.
The scale of destruction has forced most classes into makeshift settings. UNICEF estimates nearly 98% of Gaza’s school buildings have sustained damage since 2023, with over 93% requiring major rehabilitation or full reconstruction.
Three schools reopened their original buildings on the first day — a UNRWA facility in the Nuseirat camp and two government schools in Gaza City — while most other students began lessons in tents, shelters or temporary learning centres lacking basic supplies such as books, desks and stationery.
The ministry plans to gradually expand in-person education to roughly 700 sites across the strip and bring 25 additional temporary schools into operation in the coming weeks. UNRWA has opened 86 learning spaces so far, with further expansion planned as security conditions, staffing and services allow.
For families, the return carries weight beyond academics. An estimated 700,000 children aged four to 17 had missed nearly three consecutive years of face-to-face schooling, with roughly 420,000 having had no in-person instruction at all during that period.
Parents and teachers described the reopening as a fragile but meaningful step toward restoring a sense of normal routine for children who have spent years moving between displacement sites. Alawasat News
