Resumption of schooling in the Gaza Strip inside tents near the "Yellow Line"

Despite receiving her lessons while sitting on the ground in bitter cold inside a tent crowded with students in the Gaza Strip, interrupted by sounds of gunfire and repeated explosions from areas controlled by Israel less than a thousand meters away, Palestinian child Toleen Al-Hindi feels happy to finally return to school after an interruption of more than two years due to the war.

Toleen (7 years old) is one of about 400 children who are learning in the temporary "North Educational School" established in tents on ruins in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, and located within sight of the "Yellow Line" controlled by the Israeli army.

More than 12 girls sat on the ground in two rows inside one small tent, wearing puffy jackets for warmth, placing their notebooks in front of them on wooden boxes that replaced tables, and cheerfully repeating what the teacher said as she drew shapes on the blackboard.

Toleen said: "It's true that we don't sit on chairs or anything, but we're finally sitting in school. We've been sitting in war for a long time with no schools, just bored. We want schools like this to read and write in so we can grow up and be smart."

Her mother, Yasmin Al-Ajouri, added that she feels anxious from the moment Toleen goes to school until she returns home.

Yasmin tells her daughter as she heads to school: "Be careful, take cover behind a wall, hurry on your way."

"Safety is in God's hands." Under the ceasefire agreement in effect since October 2025, Israel still occupies more than half of the Gaza Strip, preventing civilians from accessing other areas.

Almost all buildings in areas controlled by Israel have been razed to the ground and their residents expelled.

This leaves the population of over two million people with only about a third of the Gaza Strip's area, most of them in temporary tents and damaged buildings, where some aspects of life are returning under the control of a Hamas-led administration.

Despite the partial cessation of war and intensive bombing operations, Israel has repeatedly opened fire on Palestinians approaching the "Yellow Line," claiming it aims to eliminate threats to its forces.

Israel has killed more than 440 Palestinians since the October agreement came into effect, and Palestinians say Israeli forces are moving some yellow concrete markers westward, beyond areas they are not supposed to control.

Workers at Toleen's school confirm that they hear gunfire daily.

Yara Abu Ghalwa, supervisor at the North Educational School, said: "There is daily gunfire, and if it weren't for God's protection, there would be two or three injuries every day... We taught the children that as soon as we hear and feel the gunfire... we take a prone position."

She added: "This is certainly not safe, and safety is in God's hands alone... but this is what we have."

Health authorities in the Gaza Strip said that the Israeli war on Gaza has resulted in more than 71,000 casualties since October 7, 2023, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians injured.