Refugee Teacher Opens Free School for Over 400 Displaced Gazan Children in Egypt’s North Sinai

• UNICEF reports that more than 14,000 Palestinian school‑age children have been forced to relocate to Egypt since the conflict erupted.
• Many of these families confront severe barriers to online learning, including the high cost of internet access and electronic devices, rising living expenses, and uncertainty about their legal status in Egypt.

Updated 4 sec ago

October 4, 2026 23:14

EL-ARISH, Egypt – In the remote North Sinai region, Palestinian educator Hadeel Zourob runs the only school dedicated to displaced Gazan children. After fleeing Gaza herself in October 2023, Zourob witnessed the urgent need for education among hundreds of youngsters now living in this coastal city, located about 44 km from the Gaza border. “They arrived in Egypt without any schooling,” she said. “I decided to create an educational space for them.”

The initiative began modestly: Zourob, together with other refugee teachers, offered lessons in a rented building to a small group of pupils. What started with roughly 150 students has expanded to serve nearly 400 children aged six to 18. The Misr El Kheir Foundation, a major Egyptian charity, now supports the school by covering rent and supplying textbooks and stationery.

Today the campus stands as the sole Palestinian school in North Sinai, a largely neglected area. In its courtyard, children dressed in traditional black‑and‑white keffiyehs and colorful Palestinian dresses gather shoulder‑to‑shoulder, waving flags and reciting the morning assembly before heading into classrooms. Teachers distribute pens and curricula‑aligned textbooks, many of which were brought from Gaza.

Inside the rooms, pupils eagerly flip through their new books, settle at desks, and tackle math problems on whiteboards. Down a hallway, youngsters sketch vibrant houses, flowers, and seaside scenes with colored pencils. Laughter, singing, and clapping soon fill the building, momentarily eclipsing the trauma of war many have only recently escaped.

Some students at the school came to El‑Arish for medical treatment of war injuries, while others fled the conflict with their families. Most now reside in government‑provided temporary housing, and several continue rehabilitation and post‑surgical care.

“We hope they can pursue their dreams despite the harsh and tragic circumstances outside Gaza,” said Palestinian mother Ons Shehta.

Outside the school, parents await in battered minibusses on poorly paved roads to pick up their children after class.

Zourob’s school aims not only to deliver academic instruction but also to aid children’s psychological recovery from war and displacement, fostering a sense of belonging. “We work as a team to fill the gaps left by months of interrupted education and to immerse the students in a normal school environment,” explained teacher Hamied Abu Daher. “When they eventually return to Gaza, the school atmosphere will feel familiar; they will carry the memory of a structured, supportive community with them.”

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