Children in Gaza Face Sniper Danger to Reach Tent Schools

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1149 EAT on Tuesday 6 January 2026

In a small tent, overshadowed by the sounds of nearby gunfire, seven-year-old Tulin prepares for her first day of school in two years.

For most children, this would be a moment of excitement. For Tulin and her mother, it is a day marked by fear and uncertainty.

The ongoing conflict in Gaza has destroyed much of the region’s educational infrastructure, forcing families to set up makeshift “tent schools” in areas dangerously close to Israeli forces. Many of these sites lie within what Israel has designated the “yellow zone,” often just a few metres from active military areas.

“Until my daughter gets to school, I honestly walk with my heart in my hand,” Tulin’s mother told Al Jazeera correspondent Shady Shamieh.

“Many times, I find myself following her until she reaches the school. I know it is dangerous, but I want her to learn,” she added. “If it weren’t for this situation, she would be in second grade now. But we are determined.”

The journey to the classroom is perilous. Walking through the rubble of Beit Lahiya, seven-year-old Tulin admits she is terrified of the open spaces.

“When I go to school, I am afraid of the shooting,” Tulin told reporters. “I can’t find a wall to hide behind, so the shelling or stray bullets might hit us.”
Inside the makeshift tents, protection is minimal. The canvas walls offer no defense against gunfire, yet the students sit on the ground, determined to learn.

Their teacher describes a harrowing daily routine, with lessons frequently interrupted by the crack of sniper fire.

“The location is extremely challenging, right next to the occupation forces,” the teacher said. “When the shooting begins, we instruct the children to lie down. I feel a chill run through me, hoping no one is hurt. We keep them on the ground until the firing stops.”

“We have faced gunfire multiple times,” she added. “Still, we stay. Their policy is to spread ignorance, and ours is to spread knowledge.”

One of the students, Ahmed, lost his father in the conflict. “We come with difficulty and leave with difficulty because of the shooting,” he told Al Jazeera. “But I want to achieve the dream my father had for me—to become a doctor.”

The desperate scenes in Beit Lahiya reflect a wider collapse of Gaza’s education system.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, Kazem Abu Khalaf, spokesperson for UNICEF in Palestine, described the situation as “one of the biggest catastrophes.”

“Our figures indicate that 98 percent of all schools in the Gaza Strip have suffered varying degrees of damage, including total destruction,” Abu Khalaf said.
He added that 88 percent of these schools require either major rehabilitation or complete reconstruction.

The human toll is staggering: approximately 638,000 school-aged children and 70,000 kindergarten-aged children have missed two full academic years and are now entering a third year of disruption.

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