Education and hope in Gaza lie buried under the rubble

As children worldwide go back to school, their Palestinian counterparts have lost their classrooms and academic focus.

- Esraa Sameer

When Hassan Alsarafndi was six years old, he had a happy life with a loving family.

He lived in a beautiful house in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, along with his parents, two sisters, and brother. He was full of life, always cheerful and playful, excited to start first grade in elementary school so he could learn the alphabet. He couldn't wait to read and write.

But 7 October 2023 changed everything. Israeli airstrikes and ground operations destroyed entire neighbourhoods, forcing hundreds of thousands of families to flee their homes and leaving schools, hospitals, and basic services in ruins. Hassan's world quickly turned into a life of displacement and fear.

More than two years later, Hassan is now in the third grade, and he still can't read or write properly.

His mother, Heba, 34 years old, explains: "We are already under huge pressure; we can't find time to teach him. Even if I give one hour, it is never enough. Normally, students at his age take a week or two to absorb a lesson, but I can't provide him with that on my own."

Since October 2023, Gaza's education system has collapsed. More than 650,000 students have been left without schools, with nearly 95 per cent of facilities destroyed or severely damaged. This January marks the third consecutive year that children and students have been deprived of their education and right to attend school.