Impact of the War in Gaza on Children’s Right to Education

This study examines the impact of the ongoing war in Gaza on children’s right to education and the role of social work in addressing these challenges. Drawing on a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with educators and social workers in Gaza and the West Bank, alongside document analysis of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and institutional reports, this study highlights the widespread destruction of educational infrastructure, forced displacement, and severe psychosocial distress among both children and professionals. Schools have been repurposed as shelters, repeatedly targeted in attacks, and have thus become unsuitable as safe learning environments. Educational needs extend beyond academic instruction to include trauma-informed interventions, psychosocial support, inclusive facilities, and curricula adapted to post-conflict realities. Social workers, often operating under life-threatening conditions, combine community-based initiatives with advocacy, integrating psychosocial care into emergency education and documenting rights violations. Yet these efforts are hindered by the blockade, limited resources, bombardments, repeated evacuation orders, and insufficient international solidarity, including global social work institutions. The study argues for decolonizing social work practice, centering Palestinian voices, and embedding education protection within humanitarian, legal, and political frameworks. Recommendations for social work include strengthening community-led responses, advocating for structural change to safeguard education as a fundamental right during and after conflict, and rethinking the role of social work as a human rights profession in the Gaza context.