The new school year in the Palestinian territories began on Monday, but all schools in Gaza remain closed after 11 months of war, with no ceasefire in sight. Amid ongoing fighting, Israel issued new evacuation orders to residents in northern Gaza in response to rocket fire targeting Israel.

Umm Zaki’s 15-year-old son, Moataz, was supposed to start 10th grade, but instead woke up in their tent in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, and was sent to fetch water over a kilometer away. "Normally, this would be a day of celebration, with children in new uniforms, heading to school, dreaming of becoming doctors and engineers. Today, we only hope the war ends before we lose any of them," she shared via text.

The Palestinian Education Ministry reported that all Gaza schools are shut, with 90% of them destroyed or damaged due to Israel's offensive, which followed an attack by Hamas militants on Israeli towns in October last year. The U.N. aid agency UNRWA, which operates about half of Gaza's schools, has repurposed many as emergency shelters for thousands of displaced families.

UNRWA's Director of Communications, Juliette Touma, emphasized the dangers of children being out of school for extended periods, stating they become more vulnerable to exploitation, including child marriage, labor, and recruitment by armed groups. The ministry said that 625,000 Gazan students are missing classes, in addition to 58,000 six-year-olds who were supposed to start first grade.

In response, UNRWA launched a "back-to-learning" program at 45 shelters, offering activities like games, drama, arts, music, and sports to support children’s mental health.

As most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced multiple times, Israel recently ordered further evacuations in northern Gaza, citing ongoing rocket fire. An Israeli military spokesperson warned residents in the combat zone to leave, stating that the area is dangerous due to terrorist activities.

Meanwhile, the U.N. urged residents in northern Gaza to bring children under 10 to medical facilities for polio vaccinations, after the first polio case in 25 years was recorded in the territory. Over half of the children in southern and central Gaza have already been vaccinated, with 450,000 receiving doses by Monday. The campaign is set to expand to northern Gaza on Tuesday, with a second round of vaccinations scheduled four weeks later.

Israeli airstrikes on Monday reportedly killed eight people in central and southern Gaza, while Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants continued to launch attacks on Israeli forces using rockets and mortars. The Israeli military said it had killed dozens of militants, including senior commanders from both groups, and dismantled military infrastructure.

The conflict erupted on October 7, when Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel, killing 1,200 people and capturing around 250 hostages. In retaliation, Israel’s strikes have resulted in over 40,900 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza's health ministry. Both sides blame each other for the failure to agree on a ceasefire or the release of hostages.