At the start of the school year in Gaza, the usual joy on students’ faces is absent. Instead,
feelings of sorrow and loss accompany the return to classrooms. Many children have
come back to school after losing friends, while others see rubble where classrooms once
stood, as schools have been reduced to ruins by airstrikes.

Here, education is not just about studying; it is a weapon against death and siege. Going
to school amidst daily threats and bombings is an act of resistance in itself. It sends a
message that the Palestinian people will not let knowledge be destroyed, and that the next
generation will grow educated and aware despite the oppression surrounding them.

The challenges are immense. Schools have sometimes become shelters for displaced
families who have lost their homes, while students and teachers navigate roads fraught
with danger every day. The harsh reality is tangible: many teachers and students have
been killed on their way to school or even inside classrooms as a result of direct attacks.

Yet, despite all this destruction, students returning to the classrooms touches the heart. It
is not just the start of a new school year—it is a symbol of resilience, a living declaration
that Palestinians hold firm to their right to education and life, that knowledge remains
stronger than the bombs, and that hope for freedom cannot be erased.