Two years after war and destruction… students in Gaza return to school

Students at Al-Hasayna School in Nuseirat, in the central Gaza Strip, returned to their classrooms despite the devastation in the territory, as the United Nations announced the gradual reopening of institutions.

Following the ceasefire that has been in effect since October 10, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced this week the gradual reopening of its institutions, two years after the devastating war.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday that more than 25,000 students have joined the agency’s temporary learning spaces, while some 300,000 students will continue their studies online.

At Al-Hasayna School, girls gathered in the playground in the morning for exercise, chanting “Long live Palestine!” Afterwards, about 50 girls entered a classroom and sat on the floor without desks or chairs.

Despite the lack of suitable study conditions, they answered the teacher’s questions and copied the lesson from the board into their notebooks, their faces beaming with happiness.

During the war, this school, like many other UNRWA facilities, became a shelter for dozens of families. Displaced people are still living in the building, whose facade is marked with clotheslines.