Holy Family School in Gaza City reopened on September 15, 2026, after nearly three years of closure driven by war, displacement, and compound damage. Around 1,005 students returned, including approximately 130 Christian children alongside a Muslim majority. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa confirmed the reopening while noting shortages of desks and pencils. The school remains Gaza’s only operating Christian educational institution. The full story behind its closure, its students, and what it still lacks reveals how fragile this reopening truly is.
What Happened on Reopening Day at Holy Family School?
After nearly three years of closure, Holy Family School in Gaza City reopened its doors on September 15, 2026, welcoming back roughly 1,000 students. The school, attached to Gaza’s only Catholic parish, serves both Christian and Muslim children, with about 130 Christian pupils among the enrolled. Church leaders described the day as a meaningful step toward restoring routine. Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa confirmed the reopening but noted that basic supplies, including desks and pencils, remained scarce. Father Gabriel Romanelli said the school hoped to bring students “some sense of normality,” even as broader conditions in Gaza remained deeply difficult. The school programme was redesigned to include psycho-social support to help students and teachers process their experiences during the war. For the first time, all Christian students in Gaza are studying together in one Christian school, creating what community leaders described as a strong sense of community among the Christian population. The parish also highlighted ongoing efforts to promote interfaith education as part of rebuilding communal ties.
Why the School Stayed Closed for Almost Three Years?
The school’s closure stretched across nearly three years, rooted in a combination of war, displacement, and physical danger that made regular instruction impossible.
When the Gaza war began in October 2023, Holy Family Parish’s classrooms were converted into shelter for displaced families.
Teaching became secondary to survival.
Several compounding factors extended the closure:
- Classrooms housed hundreds of displaced residents, removing them from educational use
- Israeli tank fire struck the compound in 2025, causing deaths and injuries
- Shortages of furniture and supplies left the school unprepared to function
Conditions gradually stabilized enough to allow a careful, limited reopening. Church leaders framed the reopening within a broader call to justice and community restoration.
Before the war, Gaza had five Christian schools, spanning Catholic, Orthodox, and evangelical Protestant denominations.
The reopening on Sept. 15, 2026 marked the first time all Christian students were studying together under one roof at a Christian school.
How Many Students Returned to Holy Family School?
Once conditions stabilized enough to permit a cautious reopening, Holy Family School welcomed back roughly 1,000 students on September 15, 2026, marking the end of nearly three years without classes.
The Latin Patriarchate later confirmed an official enrollment of 1,005 students for the 2026–2027 school year.
One breakdown placed 180 students in kindergarten and 820 in primary grades.
Among those enrolled, approximately 130 were Christian children, representing about 13 percent of the student body.
Most students were Muslim, reflecting the broader population Holy Family now serves as Gaza’s only functioning Christian-affiliated school. For the first time, all Christian students in Gaza would study together under one roof, creating a strong sense of community.
Many families expressed gratitude for the school’s role in providing both education and communal support during a period when organized gatherings and faith-based services were disrupted.
What Holy Family School Is Still Missing After Reopening?
Reopening its doors was a significant step, but Holy Family School still lacks much of what a functioning classroom requires. Students continue sitting on the ground without desks, and basic supplies remain scarce. The Bible emphasizes practical acts of mercy and support for those in need, encouraging communities to prioritize compassionate service.
Students sit on bare floors, supplies still scarce — Holy Family School has reopened, but true restoration remains far off.
Several critical shortages persist:
- Desks and standard seating arrangements are still unavailable
- Pencils, pens, notebooks, and books remain insufficient
- Normal classroom conditions have not yet been restored
These gaps reflect a broader Gaza-wide crisis, where most students still learn in tents or damaged structures. Families have largely lost the means to purchase supplies.
Recovery continues, but full educational normalcy remains a work in progress. The school is currently recognized as the only Christian educational institution operating in Gaza. Father Gabriel Romanelli, who spoke to a visiting Catholic charity delegation, described the school’s reopening as a light in the darkness for a community enduring enormous needs after nearly three years of war.
Why This Is Gaza’s Last Catholic School Standing?
While desks and supplies remain scarce, Holy Family School holds a distinction that goes beyond its physical recovery.
Before the war, Gaza had five Christian schools — three Catholic, one Orthodox, and one Evangelical. None of the others resumed operations.
Holy Family survived largely because of its direct connection to Holy Family Parish, Gaza’s only Catholic church, and the continued support of the Latin Patriarchate. That institutional foundation kept the school’s identity intact when others collapsed.
Now, with roughly 1,000 students returned, it stands as the sole Christian school still operating in Gaza — a quiet marker of what endured. Religious coexistence has long been a hallmark of these institutions, fostering ties across communities, Cardinal Pizzaballa, in a pastoral letter, described these schools as having educated generations in coexistence across different religious traditions.
The school was originally built in 1974 by the Latin Patriarchate, serving a region where Christians represent just 0.05 percent of an otherwise exclusively Muslim population.
