Education under attack in Palestine
Project summary
This research has focused on documenting the impact of the war on Palestine's education system, including the destruction of education infrastructure, loss of learning and impacts on students, teachers and communities, while identifying priorities for restoring and rebuilding equitable and quality education. It also provides an independent review of existing research and evidence on Palestinian Authority textbooks, examining the quality and robustness of claims made about their content and identifying limitations and gaps in the existing evidence base. Further research seeks to understand the effects of the war on teachers’ wellbeing and ability to continue to support children and young people’s learning. Together, these studies contribute evidence on the challenges facing Palestinian education and seek to inform policy and international action to protect and uphold the right to education.
Palestinian Authority textbooks
The Palestinian Authority textbooks: A review of research evidence
REAL Centre, University of Cambridge, May 2026.
Research and Policy Paper No. 26/5
Palestinian education still under attack
Research team
- Professor Pauline Rose
- Professor Yusuf Sayed
- Sally Beiruti
- Dr Laraib Niaz
- Professor Maha Shuayb
- Dr Asma Zubairi
- Sohail Ahmad
- Bilal Barakat
- Mohammad Hammoud
Palestinian education still under attack: Restoration, Recovery, Rights and Responsibilities in and through Education
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Centre for Lebanese Studies in partnership with UNRWA, January 2026
- Main report
- Arabic version of report
- Summary slides and infographics
- Background paper: Modelling learning recovery, teacher replacement and teacher costs in Palestine
- Videos of speakers from launch event, Cambridge, 22 January 2026
Media articles
The War on Palestinian Schools: Schools across the West Bank have slashed instruction as Israel withholds billions in Palestinian tax revenues.
Jewish Currents, 7 July 2026
Children killed, a school turned into a graveyard: even in wartime, we can’t accept thisGordon Brown,
The Guardian, 12 March 2026
Cam researchers criticise ‘devastating’ impact of Israeli violence on Palestinian children
VARSITY. 2 February 2026
Education under attack Niaz, L. & Rose, P.
The News Pakistan, 30 January 2026
A report notes how Israel’s occupation of Palestine has impacted education over the last two years
The Wire, 27 January 2026
Palestinian Education Crisis: Ambassador Zomlot's Full Speech at Cambridge University
Palestine in the UK, 23 January 2026 (video)
There will be a lost generation in Gaza due to Israel’s educide
The Canary, 8 January 2026
After more than two years of war, Palestinian children are hungry, denied education and “like the living dead”
University of Cambridge, 7 January 2026
Lost’ generation of Gazan children at risk of a decade without education, Cambridge study finds
The National, 7 January 2026
Gaza’s Children Fall Five Years Behind in School due to War and COVID-19
Gaza Herald, 7 January 2026
Study: Gaza war pushing Palestinian children towards a ‘lost generation’
Courthouse News Service, 6 January 2026
Education under attack in Gaza
Research team
- Professor Pauline Rose
- Professor Yusuf Sayed
- Professor Maha Shuayb
- Sally Beiruti
- Mohammad Hammoud
- Dr Laraib Niaz
- Professor Maha Shuayb
- Ola Al Samhoury
- Dr Asma Zubairi
Palestinian education under attack in Gaza: Restoration, Recovery, Rights and Responsibilities in and through Education
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, Centre for Lebanese Studies & UNRWA, September 2024
Blog
APPG on Global Education hosts Panel Discussion on Education Under Attack in Gaza and Lebanon
APPG Global Education, 6 February 2025
Media
Education under attack in Gaza
MPs briefing for All Party Parliamentary Group event, London, January 2025
Palestinian education ‘under attack’, leaving a generation close to losing hope, study warns
University of Cambridge, 25 September 2024
La guerra en Gaza podría retrasar hasta cinco años la educación de niños y jóvenes
La Vanguardia, 25 September 2024
Gazan children could lose five years of education if war continues, says UNRWA
The National News, 24 September 2024
Other related resources
Scholasticide in Gaza: The systematic destruction of Palestinian higher education and the continuation of collective resilience
Edited by Desai, C., Shweiki, O., Takriti, A.R. and Tikly, L. (with Rose, P. as co-author) 2026, Friends of Palestinian Universities, June 2026
- Gaza’s destroyed universities ‘must be rebuilt by Palestinians’
Times Higher Education, 19 June 2026 - ‘Scholasticide is evidence of genocidal acts’ – Gaza report
University World News, 17 June - Teaching from tents to keep universities open in Gaza
University World News, 17 June
Partnerships with Palestine: An introductory guide to UK-Palestinian higher education collaboration
Hajir, B., Krishnan, S., Nehad, A., & Shweiki, O. Endorsed by the Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre and The Centre for Comparative and International Research in Education (CIRE). Friends of Birzeit University (FOBZU). February 2025.
