JERUSALEM — A new report from the United Nations has painted a bleak picture for the future of Gaza, with “nearly all” school-aged children in the territory now out of education and at risk of becoming a “lost generation.” The findings, released by the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), underscore the catastrophic impact of the ongoing conflict on the civilian population, particularly its youngest members.
The report reveals that with a new school year beginning in other parts of the world, hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza remain without access to formal education. The UN said more than 660,000 children have been deprived of schooling for a third consecutive year.
The primary reason for this educational collapse is the widespread destruction of school infrastructure. According to the UN, over 90% of schools in Gaza have been either damaged or completely destroyed. Many of the remaining school buildings have been converted into overcrowded shelters for families displaced by the fighting, forcing children to live in the very spaces where they once learned.
The lack of education, the report warns, is not just a short-term crisis but a long-term threat to Gaza’s future. Without schooling, a generation of children will be left without the skills needed to rebuild their society, and many are suffering from profound psychological trauma. As one displaced child, Diana, told the UN, “Instead of studying in school, we are now living inside it. We carry a bag of clothes instead of a school bag. We neither play nor learn.”
The UN has called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to allow for the restoration of education. The agency has also highlighted the significant challenges of providing even basic learning in the current environment, with some teachers holding classes in makeshift tents amidst the rubble. The report serves as a dire warning that alongside the physical devastation of Gaza, an entire generation’s future is being systematically erased.