Gaza’s children are enduring a relentless assault that has turned their classrooms into ruins and their schooldays into scenes of unimaginable loss. Since October 2023, over 17,000 children have been killed, most of them students, in what is now one of the darkest chapters of the region’s history. Entire families have been erased, and with them, the futures of children who once dreamt of becoming doctors, teachers, and engineers. Education, a basic right and a beacon of hope, has become one of the primary targets in a war that shows no mercy.

Hundreds of schools and universities have been bombed, severely damaged, or entirely destroyed, cutting off nearly 800,000 children from any access to formal education. The few learning spaces that remain are overcrowded or unsafe, while children struggle with hunger, displacement, and the trauma of repeated bombings. Teachers and students alike have been killed in staggering numbers, and the deliberate targeting of educational institutions has robbed an entire generation of safety, stability, and the ability to learn.

Despite the horror, the will to learn has not vanished. Palestinian children, particularly in Gaza, continue to cling to their right to education, even if it means studying under tents, in the rubble, or through makeshift online tools. The loss is immense, yet their determination is stronger still—a testament to the resilience of a people who, even in the face of destruction, refuse to surrender their dreams.