Bissan Younis stood sadly outside several tents surrounded by the rubble and debris that has become a common sight across the Gaza Strip.
The small camp is another makeshift school with no room for her teenage son, Kareem.
More than 600,000 Palestinian children in Gaza have missed the last two years of school due to the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
“Most of the schools have been destroyed,” she said.
“Every school I go to they tell me there’s no room.”
Instead of learning and socializing, children are constantly displaced, fleeing airstrikes and bombings, and often spend entire days searching for water and food for their families.
After a largely respected ceasefire was reached last month, aid workers are now working to reopen dozens of makeshift schools.
John Crickx, spokesman for UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, said it is essential that children return to school as soon as possible, not only for basic education, but also for their mental health.
“In the coming weeks, if we do not provide education, the consequences could be dire for an entire generation,” he said.
UNICEF estimates that more than 630,000 Palestinian children have missed out on education during the war.
Crickx says only about 100,000 children have managed to return so far.
Separately, UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, provides education through its contracted teachers to around 40,000 students.
Most of the UNRWA-run schools, which were attended by half of Gaza’s children before the war, have been converted into shelters for the displaced.
There is no room even for tents.
Lack of space is a major obstacle: dozens of schools have been severely damaged or completely destroyed.
Another challenge is getting supplies into Gaza, whether it’s concrete to repair damaged schools or simple pencils, tires and other basic supplies.
It is known that since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, these items have not been allowed to enter Gaza.
“Israel, which controls the flow of goods into the territory, considers them non-critical, non-life-saving,” Crickx said.
Even children who return to makeshift schools carry the psychological burden that comes with war and displacement.
“The level of trauma among Gaza residents, including children, is horrific,” said Juliette Touma, director of communications at UNRWA.
Touma warns of a “lost generation” – the longer children stay out of school, the harder it will be for them to one day catch up with their peers elsewhere.
She worries that if children do not receive an education, they are more likely to fall “prey to exploitation, including child marriage, child labor, and recruitment into armed groups.”