Across the occupied territories, schooling has become increasingly inseparable from insecurity, as children attempt to maintain access to education amid escalating violence linked to the ongoing genocidal war. For many pupils, the route to school is shaped not by routine but by unpredictability, where learning is frequently interrupted by fear and instability.

In the West Bank, incidents near schools have heightened concerns about student safety. In one reported case near Ramallah, an armed incident at the gate of a secondary school in Al-Mughayyir resulted in the killing of two students and injuries to others, turning what should have been a routine school day into a scene of devastation. Such episodes have contributed to a climate in which education is increasingly conducted under the shadow of threat.

The situation in the Gaza Strip is even more severe, with the education system described as being close to total collapse. According to education authorities, the vast majority of schools have been rendered unusable amid the ongoing genocidal war, leaving hundreds of thousands of students without regular access to classrooms. Large numbers of teachers and students have also been killed, while many more have been displaced or left without any functioning educational infrastructure. Temporary learning spaces, including tent-based classrooms, have been introduced in an attempt to provide minimal continuity.

In parallel, children in both Gaza and the West Bank face overlapping challenges, including movement restrictions, military presence, and recurrent incursions affecting schools and surrounding areas. Financial pressures linked to broader administrative constraints have further disrupted the education sector, affecting teacher salaries and limiting institutional capacity. International organisations have warned of long-term consequences for child development, noting the risk of an entire generation being left without stable access to education.

Despite these conditions, attempts to maintain learning continue, often in improvised or temporary settings, reflecting persistent efforts by families and educators to preserve education under extremely difficult circumstances.