The Education in Gaza Amid War: From Survival to Recovery and Renewal? - (Policy Brief 4)

Since the onset of the Israeli aggression in October 2023, the education sector in the Gaza Strip has undergone unprecedented transformations amid widespread destruction affecting all components of the education system. This devastation has compounded longstanding structural challenges resulting from the blockade, recurrent military incursions, and prolonged economic deterioration. Despite these prolonged constraints, Gaza’s education system had, before the latest war, maintained high levels of school enrollment, strong literacy rates, and a broad network of higher education institutions, reflecting the central role of education in Palestinian society as a pillar of resilience and development and a fundamental foundation for human capital formation. 

However, the recent aggression has inflicted extensive damage on these achievements, plunging the sector into one of the most severe and complex educational crises in its modern history. The effects of the aggression have extended across all levels of the education system. Schools, universities, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions have sustained extensive damage, with more than 95% of schools in the Gaza Strip affected. Over 625,000 school-age children have been affected by the disruption of schooling, while the studies of nearly 88,000 students enrolled in higher education institutions have been disrupted. At the same time, educational and academic personnel have suffered severe human and professional losses. The repercussions have not been confined to physical infrastructure damage; they have also included a widening learning loss, reduced access to education, and the erosion of academic and research capacities. These developments pose a serious threat to the continuity of knowledge production and the preparation of the skilled national workforce required to support future development and recovery efforts.

Against this backdrop, a range of initiatives and response measures emerged, supported by national institutions and international partners, demonstrating the capacity of educational institutions and local communities to adapt and sustain a minimum level of learning continuity. Such initiatives encompassed e-learning, Temporary Learning Spaces (TLSs), community-based learning programs, and international academic partnerships. Despite resource constraints, ongoing displacement, and restrictions on movement and access, these interventions have helped prevent a complete interruption of education and underscored the importance of collaboration among government institutions, universities, civil society organizations, international agencies, and local communities in addressing crises, while generating practical experiences and lessons that can serve as building blocks for the recovery phase.