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Gaza Children Killed on Way to School as Strikes Continue — AI-generated representative image: Palestinian children attend makeshift school tents in Gaza amid ongoing violence and danger on the way to class.

Editorial Team

Ten students and a teacher dead in one week as Israeli fire hits makeshift classrooms amid a fragile ceasefire

Palestinian children in Gaza are being killed and wounded while travelling to and attending makeshift schools, as Israeli air raids and sniper fire continue despite a ceasefire agreement established last October. The academic year resumed on September 19 after nearly three years of disruption caused by Israel's war, but the return to classrooms has been marked by renewed violence.

Between October 18 and 24, ten children aged six to 16 and a teacher were killed, according to the Ministry of Education, which has called for urgent international action to protect students, schools and universities.

The resumption of schooling had offered families in Gaza a rare sense of hope and normality after years of upheaval. Instead, parents now face an impossible choice: keep their children at home and deprive them of education, or send them to school knowing they could be targeted at any moment.

Thousands of pupils are taught in tents clustered near the so-called "Yellow Line," the boundary dividing Israeli and Palestinian control, where the risk of gunfire and shelling is especially acute.

Rising Toll on Students and Schools

Since the ceasefire took effect last October, at least 1,574 Palestinians have been killed and 5,687 injured in Gaza, according to the enclave's Ministry of Health. The risks are particularly severe for schools near the Yellow Line, where at least 66 Palestinian children have been killed.

Ten children and one teacher were killed between October 18 and 24.
Two girls were wounded during morning assembly at Muradiya School in Jabalia on October 21.
Five students were injured, some critically, in an attack on the Islamic University campus in Gaza City.
The Ministry of Education has called for urgent international protection for students and schools.

A Shifting Boundary and Growing Danger

The Yellow Line was established as part of the October 2025 ceasefire agreement, dividing Gaza between Israeli and Palestinian control. The boundary has since moved westward, giving Israel control of more than 65 percent of Gaza, according to the United Nations, up from the 53 percent agreed upon a year earlier.

Schools located near this shifting boundary face constant danger from Israeli snipers, artillery, quadcopter drones and stray bullets. Teachers report that projectiles regularly strike school grounds, and families in nearby camps describe lying flat on the ground for hours after sunset to avoid ricocheting fire.

Accounts from Students and Families

On October 21, fourth-grade student Suad Abd Rabbo was shot above the knee while at Muradiya School. The bullet lodged near her nerves and tendons, and doctors were unable to remove it for fear of causing paralysis. She has since been discharged but cannot walk and requires surgery abroad, which remains difficult with Israel controlling entry and exit from Gaza.

Another pupil, fifth-grader Amina Khader, sustained a minor abdominal injury in the same incident. Her father, Khaled Khader, described finding his daughter in shock and said she now fears returning to school. The school's principal, Naim Aloush, said the shooting of about 1,000 pupils across 20 educational tents has caused a marked rise in absenteeism.

What Happens Next

Families remain caught between the need for education and the fear of violence, with no clear alternative available. Suad Abd Rabbo still requires surgery abroad, while Amina Khader has been unable to return to class. The Ministry of Education has requested international intervention, but no confirmed protective measures have been announced, and additional information on any official response is still awaited.