{
  "id": 6696816,
  "title": "Palestinian school year brings excitement for pupils and parents despite difficult conditions",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/palestinian-school-year-brings-excitement-for-pupils-and-parents-6696816",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-11T03:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/11/palestinian-school-year-brings-excitement-for-pupils-and-parents-despite-difficult-conditions/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The start of the Palestinian school year in 2023 brought hope to pupils and parents despite the challenging conditions in Gaza and the West Bank. The Gaza war, which erupted in October 2023, caused extensive damage to over 97% of schools, resulting in the loss of hundreds of teachers and administrative staff. Children continued their education through online classes, private centers, and tent classrooms, with temporary learning spaces provided by local charities, international aid organizations, and community volunteers.\n\nAhmad Al Najjar, director of public relations at Gaza's Ministry of Education, announced that the new school year would begin on September 19. However, he acknowledged that only 530,000 of the 541,000 school pupils could receive an education due to the dire conditions. Over 20,000 students and 770 teachers have been killed since the war began, creating a significant challenge in finding enough teaching and administrative staff.\n\nIn the West Bank, Palestinian pupils faced additional challenges due to the war's impact on the Israeli-occupied territory, including military raids and settler violence. Samer Al Jayousi, a father of seven children, including four school pupils aged 10 to 17, shared his concerns over the displacement of his family, the impact on his children's academic performance, and the fear of settlers and Israeli military operations near schools. Despite the difficulties, parents in Gaza and the West Bank remained determined to return their children to the classroom.",
  "summary": "At seven years old, Yemen Abu Odeh is excited about eventually starting going to school. He should have started classes last year and attended kindergarten before that, but the Gaza war that erupted in October 2023 made that impossible. Gaza’s educational infrastructure sustained extensive damage during the war. More than 97 per cent of schools were damaged or destroyed and others required major…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Palestinian school year brings excitement for pupils and parents despite difficult conditions",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/palestinian-school-year-brings-excitement-for-pupils-and-parents",
        "published": "2026-09-11T03:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}