By Brittany McAlister
Trinity Times Correspondent

For Trinity student Camille Rasamoely, going to school in the middle of a war zone is something she cannot imagine. 

“It’s very concerning and crazy to me that the war in Gaza is still ongoing and to think that a whole generation of Palestinians is harmed,” Rasamoely told Trinity Times. “I would probably stay home because it would be unsafe for me to go out.”

Islamic University of Gaza was the first university to be destroyed in the Israel-Hamas war. 

This occurred just three days after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas that killed more than 1,200 Israeli civilians. 

Three months later, on Jan. 17, 2024, Israa University was bombed by the Israeli military amidst accusations that the university was being used by Hamas militants. 

Prior to the extreme violence now perpetrated in the region, the Gaza Strip was home to 12 universities. Now, they are all gone.

The bombing of these educational institutions in Gaza has not only caused immense physical destruction, but mental health professionals believe it has also left a lasting mental and emotional toll on the minds of future leaders and thinkers.

As the educational rights of Palestinian children and teachers continue to be denied, a report by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor suggests there is a risk that future generations will not have the knowledge necessary to rebuild Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip once the war comes to an end.

Even if there was a physical educational building to attend classes, Rasamoely said she would easily get distracted if she had to go to school in the middle of a war as the continued violence would give her extreme anxiety. 

“Wartime disruption is even more traumatic and unpredictable than pandemic disruption and hence more likely to have longer-lasting effects,” said Christine Carrino Gorowara, dean of Trinity’s School of Education.

Gorowara used the COVD-19 pandemic as a framework to begin understanding the disruptions that would occur while educating in an active warzone.

“Even though most students were able to access remote learning,” she said, “there was considerable loss in learning, as well as in social-emotional well-being, that we are still seeing, even though education has largely returned to normal.” 

A 2019 study by the National Library of Medicine suggests that getting a good education leads to a healthier lifestyle and mental wellbeing.  

“We know that quality education is correlated with positive outcomes in life, including financial well-being, good health, and societal engagement,” Gorowara continued.

According to United Nations experts, more than 80% of schools were damaged or destroyed in Gaza.  

The U.N. has called this act of violence “scholasticide,” due to growing concerns that the attacks by the Israeli military may be an attempt to intentionally destroy the Palestinian education system through the “arrest, detention or killing of teachers, students and staff, and the destruction of educational infrastructure.”

The U.N. estimates that “more than 5,479 students, 261 teachers and 95 university professors have been killed in Gaza, and more than 7,819 students and 756 teachers have been injured – with numbers growing each day.” 

Trinity Washington University President Patricia McGuire called the bombing of Gaza educational institutions “horrific, clear evidence that Israel has lost its mind. With the absence of educational institutions in any country, there will be a sense of dystopian, violent tendencies, and fear of being without hope.” 

The U.N. report said that “when schools are destroyed, so too are hopes and dreams.” The devastation “deprives yet another generation of Palestinians of their future,” and reduces to rubble the foundations of Palestinian society, erasing their history.

“Schools, colleges and universities are essential for the healthy functioning of any society,” McGuire said. “Every generation of students we educate sees current realities and problems as challenges for change…our goal is to teach our students how to create change.”

McGuire understands the importance of education in the world, which is the entire purpose of universities like Trinity. 

“Educational institutions are one of the most important societal attributions,” she said. “To say that the bombing of schools as well as the killing of children, scholars, leaders, and future leaders is a way to tarnish a society and its future is much too mild. The United States must exercise its considerable political clout to get Israel to end the war in Gaza.”

Karla Graham, a military veteran deployed during Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s and a Washington property manager, said that she understands the true reason for bombing educational institutions during war.

Dropping bombs on schools puts a population at an extreme disadvantage because “education can be a catalyst for growth,” Graham said. “With no educational system, education is left at the mercy of those in authority. When you see (militants) targeting this demographic, it’s as if they are wiping out the future.”

Ultimately peace is going to be the answer of securing the future of the people in Gaza, said Notre Dame Sister Ann Howard, Trinity’s director of Campus Ministry. 

The world must “keep the children as safe and protected as possible throughout the duration of this terrible war,” Sister Ann said. “Until the war in Gaza ends, gathering in groups to study and educate seems too risky.”

McGuire believes there is still a future for the children, scholars and leaders of Palestine. 

“All we can hope is that the horror and sorrow of this moment will galvanize a new generation to rise up for clear change,” she said. “This happened after the Holocaust. It can happen here if enough brave souls step up.”