In Gaza, hundreds of schools destroyed. Teachers and students killed.

What does the killing of teachers and students have to do with Hamas?

Watching the death and destruction in Gaza on the TV news breaks my heart.

As a teacher of little kids for 30 years, nothing hurts so much as seeing young children among the dead and injured, or with no parents left to care for them, no aunts, uncles, sisters and brothers. All dead or missing.

I was a school reform activist. I still am to the degree that I can be.

The issues of what counts as good instruction, curriculum and evaluation occupied my mind, informed my teaching and directed my activism.

So it is almost impossible to wrap my head around the idea that in Gaza hundreds of schools have been bombed and students and teachers killed in more than 3 months of the Israeli war on Palestinians following October 7th.

Today, January 24, is the sixth International Day of Education as proclaimed by the UN General Assembly.

But thousands of Palestinian students in Gaza cannot go to school.

There are no tests, no lessons, no desks, no bells, no books, no teachers.

There is nothing but rubble. And bodies.

According to the United Nations Relief and Works Administration no Gaza student has been able to attend school since November 6, 2023, when the Ministry of Education suspended the 2023-2024 school year due to the war.

As of October 27, 2023 that there were more than 625,000 pupils and more than 22,500 teachers in Gaza.

Children in the Gaza Strip are sheltering in fear and all schools closed following another escalation of violence, said Jason Lee, Save the Children’s Country Director for the occupied Palestinian territory who is currently in Gaza.

Once again, children in Gaza are paying the highest price for another escalation of violence.  

Children must never be killed or maimed. Killing or maiming children is a grave violation against children and perpetrators should be held to account for their actions.

For many children, this will bring back traumatic memories of previous rounds of violence. Only two years ago this month, within 11 days, 261 Palestinians were killed, including 67 children.  With every airstrike, children’s sense of security is ripped away yet again, with dire consequences for their long-term wellbeing.  

Our team in Gaza and their families are telling us that there is no safe place to be in Gaza right now. Families are sheltering in fear and all schools have been closed in yet another day of terror and uncertainty. 

If violence escalates further, Palestinian and Israeli children’s lives and wellbeing will be threatened. The only way to truly protect children’s lives is to halt this violence and for all parties to do everything in their power to de-escalate the situation immediately. Israeli authorities must ensure that civilians and civilian infrastructure are protected from attack, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

Save the Children is one of the largest non-governmental organisations working in the occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, addressing the immediate humanitarian and long-term development needs of children and families.  

#CeasefireNow.