Gaza Herald — For Palestinian children in Gaza, returning to school has become a struggle not only to reclaim their education but also to survive. With more than 97% of school buildings damaged or destroyed, makeshift classrooms have become a lifeline for students whose education has been devastated by Israel’s military offensive. Yet even these fragile spaces have offered little protection from Israeli gunfire.
Teachers and children attempting to restore a sense of normalcy amid widespread destruction and displacement have found themselves exposed to deadly violence inside the very tents meant to provide a safe place to learn.
Palestinian Teacher Shot While Teaching Third Graders
Palestinian science teacher Sahar Abushbeika was standing before her third-grade students in a makeshift classroom in eastern Khan Younis when a bullet reportedly fired by Israeli forces pierced the tent and struck her lower back.
As the mother of five collapsed onto the dirt floor, her terrified students rushed toward her, crying out for help.
The September 30 shooting occurred at Dawn of Hope, a community education initiative established to help children resume learning amid the widespread destruction of Gaza’s schools.
Abushbeika was taken to a hospital in Khan Younis, where doctors determined that removing the bullet would be too dangerous because of its location near her spine.
According to the account provided, the injury has left her unable to sit or walk. She has also been unable to obtain medical evacuation abroad for specialized treatment.
A classroom that should have offered children a measure of safety and stability instead became the scene of another traumatic experience.
Nine-Year-Old Student Wounded Inside Tent Classroom
Less than three weeks later, on October 22, nine-year-old Amir Abusneimah was sitting in a classroom operated by the Gaza Children Village charity when a bullet reportedly fired by Israeli forces pierced the tent, struck a blackboard and ricocheted into his shoulder near his heart.
The shooting occurred despite protective sand barriers erected around the school, which was located approximately two to three kilometers from the Israeli-enforced boundary.
The bullet reportedly severed a major artery, leaving Amir in need of emergency vascular surgery at Nasser Hospital. The operation lasted approximately four hours.
Days later, another bullet struck an administrative cabinet inside the school while the principal was present, raising further concerns about the safety of children and staff attempting to continue their education.
The incidents illustrate the dangers facing students in makeshift classrooms, where canvas walls and improvised barriers provide little protection against gunfire.
Israeli Attacks Threaten Efforts to Restore Education
The shootings come as Gaza’s Ministry of Education, UNRWA and local volunteers struggle to restore basic learning opportunities following more than three years of Israeli military operations that have devastated the enclave’s education system.
With schools destroyed, damaged or converted into shelters, education providers have introduced shortened schedules and rotating shifts to accommodate displaced children.
Under some arrangements, students receive approximately three hours of instruction on three days each week, a fraction of the classroom time needed to recover years of disrupted learning.
Efforts to resume education have unfolded amid continuing Israeli attacks on educational facilities.
On October 25, an Israeli strike on the courtyard of the Islamic University in Gaza City reportedly killed three security guards.
On November 3, another reported Israeli strike targeted the University College of Applied Sciences in the al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, killing three Palestinians and wounding 11 others, including students.
These incidents have intensified fears among families and educators that even temporary learning spaces cannot guarantee children’s safety.
Thousands of Palestinian Students and Educators Killed
According to figures cited in the report, Israeli attacks killed at least 14 schoolchildren between the ages of six and 16 during October 2026, along with four teachers and three university employees.
Data attributed to the Palestinian Ministry of Education indicates that at least 19,200 school students and 1,386 university students have been killed since October 7, 2023, while more than 31,600 others have been wounded.
Beyond the loss of life, the destruction of schools, displacement of families and repeated interruptions to learning have left Gaza’s children facing an educational crisis with potentially lasting consequences.
For children such as Amir and teachers such as Abushbeika, the attempt to return to school has come at a devastating personal cost.
In Gaza, even the simple act of sitting in a classroom can mean risking serious injury or death, as Palestinian children continue to seek an education amid the violence surrounding them.
