Photo: Palestinian students put the photo of Layan Al-Shaer at her seat on the first day of school in Khan Younis on August 29, 2022. Al-Shaer was killed by an Israeli air strike during the latest attack on Gaza. (Credit: Ashraf Amra/APA Images)
Filed by Tareq S. Hajjaj
September is the month kids go back to school in Gaza. Thousands of
students are returning to their classes after witnessing a horrifying
three-day Israeli attack in early August that killed 49 people.
According to Mondoweiss documentation, 17 of those killed were children. The Gaza Health Ministry also reports that 151 children were also injured.
The sight of new clothes is currently filling the crowded streets as
students head to school early, carrying their bags. They arrive and
stand in line for morning exercises and the national anthem. Then, the
teachers will read the list of the 40 students in each class.
“Absent” is not the right word to describe the situation of some
students who are called by teachers but not in attendance. “Was killed”
is the phrase that would be more appropriate.
In every school, students in the same grade know each other and form
a bond until graduation. This year, many chairs in many schools were
empty at the beginning of the school year. Instead of students sitting
sitting in these seats it is photos of the students who were killed that
occupy the chairs. This is how their peers memorialize them and keep
them present in class. Although a wonderful gesture by the children, it
has turned their first day of school from one of excitement to one of
sadness. And for something entirely out of their control.
During the past month, I visited dozens of them while reporting our
story on those who were killed in the Israeli attack. People on the
street dragged me into their houses to show me their injured children
and tell me their story. Every child I met feared missing the start of
the new school year due to their wounds. They also feared that they
would now be considered somehow different from their peers. I heard many
fears, and some were as simple as whether their injuries would prevent
them being able to carry their heavy bag full of books back and forth to
school.
Their wounds will lead some of the kids I met to abandon their education all together.
Especially for those who now have physical issues that prevent them from
going to school, many families do not have the financial ability to
afford private teachers at home, or even a private car to drive them
safely.
Their wounds, depending on their severity, also may limit their
ability to participate in social activities and hobbies. Ismael Sabbah,
11, is a clear example of this. He loves football, and he spends most of
his day riding his bicycle in the alleys of Jabalia refugee camp where
he lives. But he was wounded in the war, and shrapnel damaged his legs.
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