For the children of Gaza, war means no school — and no indication when formal learning might return

Since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted Oct. 7, all Gaza’s schools have closed. That leaves hundreds of thousands of students without formal schooling or safe places to spend their days. Aid groups are scrambling to keep children off the streets and their minds focused on something other than the war, as heavy fighting continues across the enclave. It’s a challenge in one of the most densely populated places in the world with few spaces to learn. Buildings are destroyed, and the U.N. says a famine is already underway in the north. Some groups and parents are trying play-based learning and other small opportunities to learn, but experts say it's no long-term solution for formal education.