The world’s deadliest strip for children.
War and armed conflict always and in all parts of the world exert the greatest pressure and destruction on the most vulnerable. Among them, children, as the weakest and most defenseless social group, are the first and main victims of organized violence.
What is happening in the Gaza Strip today is not simply a military conflict or a temporary humanitarian crisis, but a clear example of the complete collapse of living conditions for an entire generation; a generation that was supposed to build the future of Palestine but is now surrounded by death, hunger, and displacement.
Education is one of the most fundamental rights of children and the main tool for breaking the cycle of poverty, violence, and backwardness, but the Israeli war on Gaza has completely deprived Palestinian children of this fundamental right. The education system in Gaza has practically collapsed, and schools, which should be places of security, intellectual and social development for children, have either been destroyed or have been turned into refugee camps.
According to official United Nations reports, more than 95 percent of schools in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed during military attacks. This situation has deprived more than 625,000 children of access to formal education and has created a deep and irreparable educational gap. Today, children in Gaza live in temporary tents, without books, without teachers, and without a suitable space for learning; conditions that have destroyed any hope of continuing their education.
Educational deprivation does not only mean falling behind in lessons, but also has widespread social and psychological consequences. Psychological research shows that children deprived of education are more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety than others. In Gaza, this educational deprivation has led to a kind of “cultural genocide.”
Hunger and malnutrition crisis, a silent weapon of war
Hunger in Gaza is not an unintended consequence of war, but a targeted tool in the context of a war against civilians. The complete blockade of Gaza, especially since October 2023, has minimized the entry of food, milk powder, nutritional supplements, and essential items, placing children on the front lines of this disaster.