The youngsters of the Qudeh family staggered last week—a time when they should have been returning to school—carrying armfuls of debris that they had salvaged from a demolished structure to sell for use in constructing graves in the cemetery that now serves as their current residence in southern Gaza.
“Everyone our age in other countries is studying and learning,” exclaimed 14-year-old Ezz el-Din Qudeh following the hauling of a load of slabs of concrete with his three siblings, the youngest of whom is 4 years old. “We’re not. We’re exerting ourselves beyond our capabilities. We must do this in order to make a living.
As Gaza prepares for its second school year without formal education, the majority of its youth are preoccupied with supporting their families in their ongoing fight to live in the face of Israel’s deadly campaign.
Kids walked barefoot on the dirt roads to carry water in plastic jerricans from distribution points to their families living in tent cities teeming with Palestinians driven from their homes. Others wait at charity kitchens with containers to bring back food.
According to humanitarian workers, Gaza’s children could suffer long-term consequences from their prolonged lack of access to education. According to Tess Ingram, regional spokesman for UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, older children are more likely to be drawn into the workforce or marry young, and younger children suffer in their cognitive, social, and emotional development.
According to her, children who miss more time from school are more likely to quit altogether and never come back.
The 625,000 school-age children in Gaza have already lost out on nearly a full year of instruction. Following Israel’s invasion of the region in retaliation for Hamas’ strike on southern Israel on October 7, schools were closed. It’s unclear when the protracted talks will end hostilities in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Gaza’s school buildings have been severely damaged by Israeli bombardment, with 85% needing major reconstruction. Gaza’s universities are also in ruins, and Israel claims Hamas militants operate out of schools. Some 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, crowded into tent camps without water or sanitation systems, or U.N. and government schools now serving as shelters.
Kids have little choice but to help families, as they have no alternative but to pick through rubble and sell concrete into powder for use in constructing new graves. Aid groups have worked to set up educational alternatives, such as UNICEF and other aid agencies running 175 temporary learning centers that serve around 30,000 students. However, supplies like pens, paper, and books are not considered lifesaving priorities as aid groups struggle to get enough food and medicine into Gaza.
Education has long been a high priority among Palestinians, with nearly 98% of the population having a high literacy rate before the war. The 11-month Israeli campaign has destroyed large swaths of Gaza and brought a humanitarian crisis, with widespread malnutrition and diseases spreading. Nearly all of Gaza’s 1.1 million children are believed to need psychosocial help.
The conflict has also set back education for Palestinian children in the West Bank, where Israel has intensified movement restrictions and carried out heavy raids. Parents in Gaza struggle to give their children even informal teaching with the chaos around them.
(AP)
