Gaza Children Risk Snipers and Trauma to Reach Makeshift Tent Schools

In northern Gaza, children are risking their lives by walking into danger just to get an education. With nearly every school building destroyed by months of fighting, families have set up temporary tent schools near front-line areas labeled by Israeli forces as the “yellow zone.” ground that is extremely close to active conflict. These tents are meant to give children a place to learn. Instead, children and teachers sit beneath thin fabric walls as gunfire echoes close by. In some areas, they are only a few meters from where soldiers and snipers are positioned.

Seven-year-old Tulin is among these children. Her first day back in class in two years was overshadowed by fear. Her mother said each step toward school feels like a risk because there are no safe routes away from bullets and shells. Teachers have to pause lessons when shooting breaks out and instruct students to lie flat on the ground until it is safe again.

The destruction is widespread. UNICEF reports that nearly all Gaza schools have been damaged or destroyed. Some need complete rebuilding, while others require extensive repairs before they can function as learning spaces again. The toll on children extends beyond damaged buildings. As many as 25 percent of children are showing signs of speech and developmental problems linked to the psychological trauma of living through relentless violence.

Education materials are scarce. Since the war began in October 2023, very little school supplies or books have been allowed into the enclave. That means schools struggle even to offer basic lessons in reading, math, and science. UNICEF is preparing a “Back to Learning” campaign to serve hundreds of thousands of children. It will focus on rebuilding basic skills and helping children recover psychologically. However, UNICEF officials say this effort can only succeed if the restrictions on educational materials entering Gaza are lifted.

Students in Gaza have missed two full school years already. More are entering what should be their third year without proper schooling. Many children, like Ahmed, a boy who lost his father in the conflict, still come to class with a sense of purpose. Ahmed says he wants to one day become a doctor to honor his father’s memory. But every day he and others enter those tent classrooms, they face danger. The longing for education remains strong, even when the path to learning exposes them to harm.