Israeli Students Return to Schools in the North and South After Nearly 2 Years of War
Students across Israel’s north and south returned to classrooms this week for the first time since the war began on Oct 7, marking a fragile step toward normal life.
In the north, schools reopened after the security situation that forced widespread evacuations eased. Education Ministry figures show that approximately 90 percent of displaced students and 97 percent of teachers have returned to the system. Still, three elementary schools—in Metula, Kiryat Shmona, and Bezet—remain closed, along with more than 30 kindergartens.
Children in northern border towns have been given “resilience kits” with games aimed at reducing anxiety and helping them process emotions. Professor Mooli Lahad of the Community Stress Prevention Center told Ynet the return to school can be a turning point after years of instability. “Simply being able to return to a classroom, to reorganize and adapt to a new environment, is an expression of resilience,” he explained.
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In the south, students are also back in Gaza border communities. In Moshav Yated, where residents were evacuated last year, children returned to the same gate where first graders had posed for photos just before Hamas terrorists infiltrated the area on October 7. Local security squads and Israeli forces repelled the attack, capturing 10 terrorists.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee marked the first day of school with a visit to the Eshkol Regional Council. “I’m reminded today that evil didn’t win!” he wrote on X, adding that “Hamas is near annihilation and these children are starting school” just “a few hundred yards from Gaza.”
He adds that many of the schoolchildren “had parents or friends murdered or taken hostage” by the terror group.
Huckabee told the children,“Very bad people tried to prevent you from starting this day, but one of the things I appreciate most about Israelis: No matter how many times they try to stop you: you get right back up and keep going.”
During Huckabee’s visit, Shachar Eshkol principal Eyal Dvori appealed for help in securing the release of hostages, noting that art teacher Yaffa Rudaeff’s partner, Lior, remains in Hamas captivity.
