The war in Gaza has left more than 650,000 children out of school, as Israeli attacks continue to devastate the region. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), schools across the besieged territory have remained closed since October 2023, when airstrikes forced families to flee and seek shelter in educational facilities. Many of these schools have since turned into overcrowded shelters, stripping children of any chance at continuing their education.
UNICEF’s report, quoted by Al Jazeera, highlights a critical aspect of Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. It notes that these children are facing a dual crisis—displacement and educational deprivation. The education sector, already fragile due to years of blockade and repeated conflicts, has now collapsed under the pressure of ongoing warfare.
“Children in Gaza have been robbed of their right to learn, grow, and dream of a better future,” UNICEF said in a statement. The agency warned that without urgent international intervention, this disruption could have long-term psychological and developmental consequences on an entire generation.
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UN Warns Against Silence: ‘Inaction Is Complicity’
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) issued a stark warning on Monday, declaring that the global silence on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis amounts to complicity. “Inaction is complicity and makes us lose our humanity,” the agency said, underscoring the collective failure of the international community to protect civilians, especially children, from the fallout of war.
With more than 2 million residents, Gaza has become a humanitarian disaster zone. Schools, hospitals, and refugee shelters are overwhelmed. The UNRWA stressed that while the focus is often on food and medical aid, the right to education is being entirely neglected. For children, especially those under 15 who make up a large portion of Gaza’s population, the trauma of war is being deepened by the loss of structure, normalcy, and safety that schools once provided.
UN agencies have repeatedly appealed for a ceasefire, safe humanitarian corridors, and the reopening of education institutions, but progress remains stalled due to ongoing hostilities and political deadlock.
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Global Outrage Grows Over Gaza Crisis
As the humanitarian situation worsens, tens of thousands of protesters in Morocco took to the streets of Rabat on Sunday, calling for an end to the war and voicing solidarity with Palestinians. Protesters chanted slogans like “It’s a disgrace, Gaza is under fire,” and “Lift the blockade,” while waving Palestinian flags and denouncing Morocco’s normalization of relations with Israel.
At the same time, the death toll in Gaza surged as Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on Palestinians attempting to collect aid. According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, 93 people were killed on Sunday alone in separate incidents across the territory, including near Gaza City, Rafah, and Khan Yunis. The UN’s World Food Programme confirmed that one of its convoys was caught in the chaos, facing large, desperate crowds and gunfire soon after entering the area.
Israel’s military denied the scale of the killings, stating that warning shots were fired to manage crowd control and “remove an immediate threat.” However, the contrast between official accounts and reports on the ground has further fueled international condemnation.
With hundreds of schools destroyed or repurposed and aid convoys under fire, Gaza’s children remain trapped in an unfolding crisis with no clear end in sight. UNICEF, UNRWA, and other humanitarian agencies continue to call for immediate action to protect civilians and restore basic rights—including the right to education—for the children in Gaza who remain out of school.
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