Gaza’s Children Struggle to Learn as Classrooms Are Bombed, Says Teacher Yara Matar
September 3, 2025
There is no “back to school” in Gaza.
Most schools are gone — flattened. Teachers unpaid. Families broke. Children sit in rubble, not classrooms.
Israel’s war has stolen their education, their stability, and their childhood.
No schools. No money. No classrooms. Only trauma.
SHARE! speak up everyday.
@aljazeeraenglish
#LetGazaLearn #StopTheGenocide #ChildrenUnderAttack #EducationUnderSiege #FreePalestine
English Script:
Ibrahim Al Khalili: In normal years, the start of September marks the return to classrooms, the smell of books and the laughter of children. But here in Gaza, in the shadow of war, the school year begins in a very different way. Thousands of children have missed months, even years of education. There are schools, 90% of them have been damaged or destroyed. Classrooms have become tense and lessons are being held amidst war and fear.
Yara Mostafa: This is the third time in a row we’ve started a school year in tents like these. It’s a sad school year. Families miss the joy of buying new stationery for their sons and daughters. Stationery stores have disappeared. And even if they were available, there’s no money in Gaza. The school tents can’t accommodate all these students due to the difficulty of transportation and movement. There are many families who can’t send their children because of the ongoing Israeli bombardment.
Ibrahim Al Khalili: Here, learning is no longer just about reading or writing. It’s about survival, about trying to hold onto a sense of normalcy.
