Gaza Strip - Recent The Ministry of Education in Gaza has officially launched a new school year, a vital step towards restoring normalcy and providing children with the education they need to rebuild their lives after the devastating conflict that erupted in October 2023. Through tireless efforts to clear rubble and furnish classrooms, a glimmer of normalcy returned to Gaza as several schools reopened, welcoming students back for the first time since the war shattered their lives. At a press conference on Sunday in Gaza City, ministry officials announced that hundreds of thousands of students are attending classes in the remnants of schools, nearly 90 percent of which were destroyed by Israeli military actions. In response to the crisis, the ministry has set up tents to serve as makeshift classrooms. Students returned to school without uniforms or textbooks due to the exceptional circumstances, including Israeli restrictions at Gaza's crossings. Many families, exhausted by the war's impact, kept their children's school registrations active during the fifteen-month hiatus, despite the tragic conditions they faced. The Gazan education sector suffered systematic targeting during the conflict. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Education, Israeli bombing resulted in the deaths of approximately 13,000 students and over 750 teachers, with nearly all educational facilities severely damaged or destroyed. With a ceasefire in place, Palestinians are working to rebuild their lives, and around 650,000 students are returning to school in locations that previously served as temporary shelters for those displaced by the violence. Shotlist: Gaza City, Gaza Strip - Recent: 1. Various of students gathering at playground for new school year ceremony, official speaking; 2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Matar, official, Palestinian Ministry of Education (partially overlaid with shot 3): "The launch of the school year is a message from the Ministry of Education and the Palestinian people that education will continue despite the humanitarian impact, great pain, and the catastrophic situation of schools. We will continue and expand. We started developing alternative plans to empty the yards of some schools and set up educational tents in their yards."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 3. Students; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 4. Various of students having class; 5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Elham Awad, Palestinian student: "After a year and a half of destruction, we have returned to learning despite the difficulties. We will complete our education and remain strong and become some of the greatest doctors in the world."; 6. Various of students having class; 7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mona, mother, Palestinian student (full name not given): "Our children's thoughts have been sorely focused on food distribution and standing in the queue for bread from morning till the end of day. Now I want the children to be disciplined in their school schedule and I will follow up on their studies with them."; 8. Various of destroyed school facilities, students, debris. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]