Almost 625,000 children in the enclave have already lost an entire school year following the 7 October 2023 terror attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups on communities in southern Israel and the ensuing Israeli military operation in Gaza.

They are now joined by more than 45,000 six-year-old children poised to enter first grade, elevating the risk of a second year without any classroom education, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.

‘Bright futures at risk’

“Children in the Gaza Strip have lost their homes, family members, friends, safety, and routine,” said Adele Khodr, the agency’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Director.

“They have also lost the sanctuary and stimulation provided by school, putting their bright futures at risk of being dimmed by this terrible conflict.”

The fighting has had a severe impact on education infrastructure. Many schools-turned-IDP shelters, including those run by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), have been damaged or destroyed.

No graduations

With every school shuttered since October last year, there was no graduating class in the Strip – the first such occurrence in decades, UNICEF noted. About 39,000 students missed their final year of school and could not take the Tawjihi exams.

For older children, the disruption extends beyond missed education opportunity.

Without schooling, young people are at an increased risk of exploitation, child labour, early marriage, and other forms of abuse. Most importantly they are at risk of dropping out of school permanently, the agency said.

For younger children, the absence of schooling threatened their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Parents report significant mental health and psychosocial impacts among children, including feelings of increased frustration and isolation.

Situation in the West Bank

Children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem are also affected as the school year starts. Increasing violence and movement restrictions since October 2023 have created new learning barriers for the 782,000 students there, according to UNICEF.

It noted data from the Ministry of Education and humanitarian partners that on any given day since October, between 8 and 20 per cent of schools in the West Bank have been closed.

Even when schools are not closed, the fear of violence, movement restrictions, and mental health concerns have led many students to skip school, leading to more learning loss.

Restart learning

To respond to this situation in the Gaza Strip, UNICEF and its partners set up 39 temporary learning spaces in the enclave, serving over 12,400 students. The ag also offers recreational activities, emergency learning kits, and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) to children, youth, caregivers, and teachers in shelters.

“We must find ways to restart learning and rebuild schools to uphold the right to education of the next generations in the State of Palestine,” Ms. Khodr said.

“Children need stability to cope with the trauma they have experienced, and the opportunity to develop and reach their full potential.”

Vaccination campaign continues

Meanwhile, UN and humanitarian partners concluded the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign in southern Gaza on Sunday.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), over 256,000 children in Khan Younis and Rafah were reached over four days.

The initial round of the campaign is now almost 70 per cent complete, with more than 446,000 children vaccinated out of the 640,000 targeted during this first round of vaccinations. The second round is expected to start in four weeks’ time.

The last phase of this first round is set to begin Tuesday in northern Gaza.

Evacuation orders deepen crisis

However, a new Israeli evacuation order issued for parts of the north includes areas where local pauses had been agreed for polio vaccination, the Office said.

About 5,000 displaced people sheltering in seven collective centres, mostly schools, are among those affected by this order, according to initial assessments by humanitarian partners.

Repeated evacuation orders are further deepening the humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza, OCHA warned.

As of Monday, more than 55 evacuation orders remain in effect, covering up to 86 per cent of the Strip.