“We need notebooks, books, and pens; we want our lives back,” expressed Sham Al-Abd, a young Palestinian girl.
Sham is now attending Deir al-Balah Common Primary School, managed by the United Nations Palestine Refugee Agency (UNRWA).
Though the classroom has old furniture and some wall drawings, the children’s excitement to return after months of sheltering from bombs remains strong.
Her classmate, Asil Al-Loh, shared, “We want to learn, play, and study all subjects like before. Now, we only study Arabic, English, and mathematics.”
UNRWA is striving to bring normalcy back to schools previously used as shelters following the Gaza ceasefire.
UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini announced the expansion of the “Return to Learning” program in Gaza, providing both in-person and online education.
At Deir al-Balah, remnants of its time as a shelter are visible, with families still preparing meals in corridors and tents occupying the grounds.
Returning to Deir al-Balah, student Shahd al-Bahisi found the area “destroyed” with many displaced still present.
Despite this, Shahd is determined to resume her studies.
Classrooms lack sufficient chairs, and floors are covered with tarps and blankets, yet enthusiasm persists.
UNRWA spokesperson, Inas Hamdam, stated that more than 62,000 students have benefited from temporary learning services since August 1, 2024.
Deir al-Balah is among those turned into shelters, but UNRWA continues to open more temporary learning spaces.
Hamdam noted that alongside in-person spaces, distance learning serves around 300,000 students in Gaza with the help of 8,000 teachers.
She emphasized that all children deserve a chance to live, to live with dignity, and to be educated.
Despite war’s devastation, voices and laughter fill the corridors of Deir al-Balah school once more.
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