As the school year begins, children around the world excitedly prepare to return to classrooms filled with promise and hope. But for hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza, that hope has been cruelly snatched away. 

The ongoing attack on Gaza has left countless families mourning the loss of their children, who will never again carry a backpack, open a textbook, or play in a schoolyard. They leave behind empty desks and broken dreams.

According to the latest data from the Gaza Health Ministry, 14,000 of Gaza’s 1.1 million children have been killed - representing over 1% of Gaza’s child population. This figure has continued to rise with ongoing reports of casualties, the actual number is undoubtedly even higher.

The devastation extends beyond the loss of life. Once safe havens of learning and growth, schools have been reduced to rubble. Nearly 90% of schools and all universities in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, with eight schools hit by Israeli airstrikes in just 10 days in early July. As of April 2024, more than 5,479 students, 261 teachers, and 95 university professors have been killed in Gaza.

“When schools are destroyed, so too are hopes and dreams.”
 – United Nations

Bombed-out classrooms and crumbling infrastructure stand as stark reminders of the toll that conflict takes on the most vulnerable. These children, who should be focusing on their studies, are instead grappling with the trauma of conflict and the uncertainty of a future without education.

Since October 2023, Gaza has been engulfed in a deepening humanitarian crisis. Israel’s attack on Gaza have resulted in widespread devastation, with over 40,000 people killed, 14,100 of whom are children. Hundreds of thousands of homes have been destroyed, and vital infrastructure has been severely damaged. 

The situation has led to a critical shortage of food, water, and medical supplies, leaving the population in desperate need. The ongoing violence has displaced 1.9 million people, with families forced to seek refuge in overcrowded shelters while access to basic necessities remains a daily struggle. 

Islamic Relief Canada and Save the Children are on the ground in Rafah, Khan Younis, Deir Al Balah, Zawayda, and North Gaza. 

Islamic Relief has been delivering daily ready-to-eat hot meals in Gaza, distributing 30 million meals thus far. We are also distributing hygiene kits, clean water via water tanks, and psychosocial support for children–but the enormity of the crisis means that much more is needed. 

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953, including youth and child participation, food assistance, nutrition support, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, and child protection programmes among many more. Save the Children has been responding in Gaza through partner organizations distributing food parcels, water, and hygiene products to families, including those in shelters.