She spends her lessons in the wintry cold on the floor of a crowded tent, her teacher interrupted by regular gunfire and explosions from Israeli-controlled territory less than 1,000 metres away. But Toulin Al-Hindi, 7, is grateful to be in school at last after more than two years of war.
She is one of some 400 children attending lessons at the makeshift North Educational School, set up in blue plastic tents in the ruins of northern Gaza’s community of Beit Lahiya, within eyesight of the “yellow line” held by Israeli forces.
During a recent lesson, more than a dozen girls sat on the floor in two rows in one small tent, keeping warm in sweaters and puffy jackets, their notebooks out in front of them on a handful of slatted wooden crates. They cheerfully sang out numbers while their teacher drew shapes on a chalkboard.
“Although we do not sit on chairs, thank God we started attending school,” said Toulin. “During the war, there were no schools, and we were bored.”
Her mother, Yasmine Al-Ajouri, says she worries from the moment her daughter leaves for school until she comes home.
“Take care, take cover next to a wall, be quick on the road,” Yasmine said she tells her daughter.
‘SAFETY DEPENDS ON GOD’
Under the ceasefire in place since October, Israel still occupies more than half of the Gaza Strip and bars civilians from other areas. Nearly all buildings in the Israeli-controlled sector have been levelled and residents driven out.
That leaves virtually the entire population of more than 2 million people confined to around a third of Gaza’s territory, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, where life has resumed under control of an administration led by Hamas.
Although major fighting has been halted, Israel has routinely opened fire at Palestinians it accuses of approaching the yellow line, saying it aims to eliminate threats to troops.
More than 440 Palestinians have been killed since the October deal came into effect, while militants have killed three Israeli soldiers. Palestinians say Israeli forces have been moving some of the yellow concrete markers westward, encroaching into unoccupied territory. Israel denies this.
Staff at Toulin’s school said they hear fire daily.
“We taught the children that as soon as we hear fire…to lie down. This is not safe, and safety depends on God, but this is what we can do,” said Yara Abu Ghalweh, a school supervisor.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 71,000 people, according to the enclave’s health ministry. The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
