More than two years into the ongoing conflict, numerous Palestinian youngsters in Gaza have become so physically exhausted and mentally shattered that they are unable to engage in learning or recreation, as outlined in a recent comprehensive report. This analysis highlights that certain children now harbor the terrifying conviction that they face death simply for their Gazan identity. Conducted under the leadership of the University of Cambridge, the investigation provides the initial in-depth assessment of educational circumstances in the West Bank and East Jerusalem following the events of October 7, 2023.
The researchers emphasize the pressing necessity for global assistance to bolster education throughout Palestine, irrespective of the sustainability of the existing ceasefire in Gaza. Within Gaza, the prolonged warfare has driven children’s educational opportunities to the verge of utter disintegration, endangering not just their academic progress but also a fundamental aspect of their personal and cultural identity.
A Childhood Shattered by Conflict and Hunger
Building upon a comparable analysis published in 2024, this latest report delves deeply into the profound ways the war has irrevocably altered the daily existence of children in Gaza. It meticulously documents a schooling infrastructure that has essentially crumbled and illustrates how relentless violence, acute food scarcity, and profound emotional trauma have eroded every trace of a typical childhood experience.
Field investigators detail heartbreaking accounts of children collapsing from sheer fatigue and receiving instructions from adults to refrain from play in order to conserve their dwindling energy reserves. Prior to the implementation of the recent ceasefire, countless parents and educators found themselves in agonizing dilemmas, pitting their children’s immediate survival against any form of continued schooling. Numerous households were subsisting on barely more than a single daily serving of lentils to stave off starvation.
Growing Anger and Loss of Faith
Among the report’s most alarming revelations is the severe erosion of hope and confidence in international solidarity among the youth. Eyewitnesses shared with the research team that children are exhibiting mounting frustration and a diminishing belief in foundational ideals like peace and universal human rights. One staff member from an international aid organization remarked, “Students are questioning the true meaning of those rights. They feel they are being killed merely for being Gazans.”
Professor Pauline Rose, who leads the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge, observed that conditions have deteriorated at an alarming pace. “Just a year earlier, we described education as being under siege—now, the very lives of children teeter on the edge of total collapse,” she stated.
She further noted that Palestinians have steadfastly prioritized education even amid the chaos of war, yet she cautioned that the profound despair voiced by the younger generation demands immediate attention. “It is imperative that we intensify our support efforts. We simply cannot afford to delay any longer,” she urged.
A Lost Generation at Risk
This extensive research was collaboratively executed by experts from the REAL Centre and the Centre for Lebanese Studies, working alongside the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). It integrates quantitative data sourced from United Nations bodies, charitable organizations, and non-governmental entities with qualitative insights gathered through interviews with humanitarian workers, government representatives, classroom instructors, and the students themselves.
The findings serve as a stark warning that Gaza confronts a grave danger of producing an entire “lost” generation, overwhelmed by the intertwined burdens of disrupted education, bodily deterioration, and mental anguish inflicted by the protracted conflict.
As reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on October 1, 2025, a staggering 18,069 students and 780 educational personnel had lost their lives in Gaza, with an additional 26,391 students and 3,211 teachers suffering injuries. According to estimates from Save the Children, the hostilities resulted in 15 children enduring permanently debilitating wounds each day.
Educators participating in the study painted a picture of overwhelming hopelessness pervading households. Certain parents voiced sentiments such as, “Why should I concern myself with my children’s schooling if I am certain they will perish from hunger?” Discussions in focus groups revealed that children lived in constant fear “of everything,” while another referenced study quoted many Gazan youngsters describing themselves as “like the living dead.”
Years of Learning Already Lost
The report’s authors project that the succession of school shutdowns since 2020 has deprived Gaza’s children of the equivalent of five full years of formal education—initially owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently due to the escalation of armed conflict. Although UNRWA and the Palestinian Ministry of Education rolled out provisional in-person and remote learning initiatives, these measures were severely hampered by persistent hostilities, infrastructure devastation, and critical deficits in essential supplies.
In quantifying the extent of learning deficits, the team factored in the synergistic impacts of psychological trauma and malnutrition, referencing well-established prior research that demonstrates how each independently impairs cognitive development and academic performance. By October 2025, approximately 13,000 children in Gaza had received medical intervention for severe acute malnutrition, with 147 tragically succumbing to it.
Should educational institutions remain shuttered until September 2027, projections indicate that a significant number of adolescents might lag as much as ten years behind the standard educational benchmarks for their age groups.
West Bank and East Jerusalem Also Struggling
The educational landscape in the West Bank, encompassing East Jerusalem, is portrayed in equally dire terms. Since October 2023, 891 students and 28 teachers have been killed or wounded by actions from settlers or Israeli military personnel, alongside hundreds of additional arrests deemed “arbitrary” by the UN Human Rights Office. Institutions in these regions have endured frequent interruptions, with numerous facilities compelled to close either temporarily or indefinitely. Children in these areas are believed to have forfeited at least 2.5 years of instruction.
Throughout Palestine, instructors depicted their vocation as profoundly disheartened and engulfed in turmoil. A representative from an international organization noted that teachers were laboring “around the clock” to deliver even rudimentary education, with many forgoing any rest days over the past two years.
The Price of Rebuilding Education
Restoring a functional educational framework across Palestine is projected to demand roughly US$1.38 billion, according to the study’s calculations. Yusuf Sayed, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge, praised the unyielding sumood—steadfast perseverance—demonstrated by teachers and counselors in safeguarding Palestinian cultural identity via schooling, while underscoring the colossal magnitude of the required response. An influx of thousands of new educators will be vital to fill vacancies left by casualties and to facilitate comprehensive restoration. He stressed that prioritizing investments in teaching personnel is indispensable for any viable reconstruction of Palestine’s education sector.
Given the near-total paralysis of Gaza’s economy, reliance on international donor funding is anticipated to persist for the immediate future. Nevertheless, the report identifies an intensifying “donor fatigue.” From the US$230.3 million earmarked by OCHA for educational initiatives in 2025, merely 5.7% had materialized by July, equating to approximately US$9 per child. Comprehensive rebuilding efforts are forecasted to necessitate around US$1,155 per individual.
Dr. Maha Shuayb, Director of the Centre for Lebanese Studies, asserted, “Education and services for children must never be treated as secondary priorities. They constitute essential pillars of societal stability and nurturing care.”
Signs of Hope Amid the Crisis
Even amidst its predominantly somber conclusions, the report identifies several grounds for tempered optimism. In the early 2025 ceasefire period, academic institutions swiftly recommenced operations, and the Tawjihi examinations for secondary school completers were successfully reinstated. One instructor characterized the resumption of classes and assessments as “a miracle.”
