International Organization: Education in Gaza faces major catastrophe threatening future of over one million students

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) warned on Thursday that the education system in the Gaza Strip is facing a major catastrophe threatening the future of more than one million students.

Dr. Salah Abdel-Ati, head of the commission, told the Palestinian Shehab news agency that schools, universities, and educational centers have been systematically destroyed during the war, depriving an entire generation of its right to safe and continuous education.

He stressed that the loss of five academic years will be nearly impossible to compensate for, placing the coming Palestinian generation at risk of a severe educational and social crisis.

Abdel-Ati pointed out that the continuation of this situation will have grave social consequences, including rising school dropout rates, increased child labor, higher rates of early marriage, and the spread of moral and social disintegration within Palestinian society—posing a threat to its stability and future.

He emphasized that education is not a secondary service but a fundamental human right guaranteed under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and an essential pillar for building a society capable of recovery and reconstruction after the war.

“Education is the foundation upon which the future is built,” he said. “Any delay in reopening schools and universities will mean the loss of years from an entire generation’s life—posing a real threat to the future of coming generations.”

Abdel-Ati called on the international community to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, urging the full reopening of Gaza’s border crossings to allow the entry of essential educational materials, and to support emergency and distance learning projects both inside and outside displacement centers.

He also called for the provision of urgent scholarships to university students to ensure the continuation of their academic studies, stressing that rebuilding Gaza’s education system is both a national and humanitarian priority.

Finally, he urged the United Nations, UNESCO, the European Union, and the Arab League to take immediate action to rebuild the education sector in Gaza and safeguard the future of the Palestinian generation from being lost.