Secretary-General: The level of death and destruction in Gaza is unprecedented in recent times

Many children in the Gaza Strip are no longer matched with the years of education they are supposed to be, after the Israeli war machine prevented them from studying for two whole years. While the world’s children go to school every morning, children in Gaza go to search for food, drink, or something to light up after running out of fuel, while the occupation planes are chasing them everywhere.

According to several mothers, children who should be in third grade have not received first and second grade education, and therefore do not know how to read, write, or even the alphabet.

The mothers say that previous wars—which began seven decades ago—brought out generations of illiterate people who could neither read nor write, and that the current war is doing the same to new generations.

The mothers try to teach their children to write or do simple arithmetic, but the situation in the Gaza Strip doesn’t allow for even these simple tasks. The sounds of bombing and the roar of aircraft and drones give them no sense of security.

Even more devastating is the constant hunger and endless search for food and drink, leaving no one time to seek education in times of war.

Even if the war stops and school resumes, thousands of children have lost two full years of school and will have to repeat them, the mothers say.

Israel has destroyed all educational facilities in the Gaza Strip and killed the majority of students during its ongoing war, which has lasted for nearly two years. Even the educational centers where residents are trying to salvage whatever they can are not far from the bombardment.