Thirteen-year-old Farah Zaqzouq loved school. Her eyes light up as she describes her daily routine before the war in Gaza and her school, which she could see from her bedroom window.
“I used to wake up early and mom made me breakfast, I’d get dressed in my school clothes, then did my hair… I’d go in and say hi to the principal and my teachers, I’d help with the school activities. I was top of my class.”
Her smile disappears as her mind switches back to her present-day reality. Both her home and school have been destroyed. Stony-faced, she walks over the ruins of the place of learning that once made her feel safe and happy.
The wreckage of schools, the resilience of students
Without graduates, what’s next for Gaza’s professional class?
Gaza’s last graduating class
In the final academic year before the conflict began, more than 25,000 students — of which 46% are women — graduated from higher education institutions. For the remaining more than 115,000 students who were enrolled, their future is uncertain.
Source: Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education
How we reported this story
The Israeli government has prevented foreign journalists from entering Gaza since October 2023, unless they are under tightly controlled military escort. Since then, all imagery from Gaza has been shot by local Palestinian journalists and social media users.
The data sourced from UNICEF that shows damaged and destroyed schools across Gaza does not include the 16 schools where the probability of damage is ‘unknown.’
