High school students in Gaza difficult psychological effects and shattered dreams due to the Israeli war

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The devastating Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has greatly disappointed high school students in the Gaza Strip, and they have been unable to sit for exams, dashing their hopes of studying at university.

The Palestinian student Diab Junaid, a resident of the northern Gaza Strip, has been experiencing difficult psychological effects since the start of the Israeli war and the suspension of the educational process, especially since he dreamed of completing the secondary stage with distinction and obtaining a high grade that would qualify him to join the College of Engineering.

Junaid, who obtained a 97% average in the eleventh grade in the scientific stream, says: “I had a lot of hope and ambitions to join the College of Engineering after passing the secondary exams next June, but because of the war, our dreams and ambitions were demolished, and what we hope for now is the end of the war.” .

Junaid used to study every day at the beginning of the war, except for the times when there was heavy bombing, which prevented him from continuing his studies.

He added: "Before the war, we used to study at home in safety and calm, but the war turned things upside down, and we no longer studied well."

Loss of books due to bombing and displacement

The student was unable to keep his textbooks and educational notebooks due to the Israeli occupation army’s bombing of the family home in the northern Gaza Strip, and the ongoing state of displacement.

He continues to say: "We live in a tent that lacks the most basic necessities of life in the city of Deir al-Balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip, under the intense heat, and we get water and food with difficulty. Instead of studying, I began collecting firewood to cook food."

High school is a pivotal stage in a student’s life, and accordingly his university future and specialization are determined. Therefore, parents and students care about it very much and prepare for it well.

Najwa is joking with her books

As for the Palestinian student Najwa Al-Zen from Jabalia Camp in the northern Gaza Strip, she has great hope that the war on Gaza will end and that she will complete her studies in high school.

Student Al-Zen says: “I am studying hard despite the war to achieve a good grade and enter medical school. My dream is to finish high school, and despite the difficulties, we will continue studying and always carry hope.”

She adds: "The study environment at home is better than the tent in which we currently stay. The calm and stability provide us with greater psychological comfort, while we suffer from extreme heat, noise, and limited space in the tent."

Al-Zen was forced to carry her school books and flee from northern Gaza to the city of Rafah (south) and then return to the central areas of the Gaza Strip. She still holds hope for the end of the war and to return to studying again and taking the high school exams.

War damage

The Israeli war completely destroyed 103 schools and universities, and 309 schools and universities partially, in addition to killing more than 10,000 male and female students, according to the government media office in Gaza.

According to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the number of students registered for the high school exam in the Gaza Strip amounted to only 1,119 students (out of about 40,000 high school students in Gaza).

The Ministry previously confirmed its commitment to holding a special course for high school students in the Gaza Strip upon the end of the Israeli war and the completion of the prescribed educational material.

The Israeli war on Gaza left more than 116,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that claimed the lives of children and the elderly.

Israel continues this war, ignoring a Security Council resolution demanding that it stop the fighting immediately, and orders from the Court of Justice demanding that it stop its attack on Rafah, and take immediate measures to prevent acts of “genocide” and “improve the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.​