More than half a million children in the Gaza Strip have been unable to attend school for a year as Israel’s brutal offensive has caused the education system to collapse and left young people at risk of exploitation and mental health problems.

Humanitarian aid organizations warn that the lack of education will cause long-term difficulties for children and make it harder for them to resume learning.

About 625,000 students in the Gaza Strip have been forced to miss school for an entire school year, a senior UN official said this week.

The head of the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said children in the Gaza Strip were at risk of “child labor, child marriage and recruitment by armed groups.”

In an interview with the global fund Education Cannot Wait, Lazzarini said the war would have “lasting consequences” for children’s mental health.

He pointed out that the education of young people in the Gaza Strip is often interrupted due to the many conflicts that the area has suffered over the past decade.

The problem is exacerbated by the damage to schools. 85 percent, or 477 school buildings, were directly hit or damaged and need to be rebuilt, according to OCHA data.

The report also states that 402 teachers and 9,565 students died and thousands more were injured.

Before the current war, educational and career opportunities for Gaza residents were limited due to years of Israeli restrictions, making it difficult for Palestinians to leave the impoverished enclave to study or work elsewhere.

Reconstruction efforts will also be difficult given the large number of sick and injured children. According to medical professionals, numerous children have lost limbs in attacks and suffered horrific injuries. Lazarrini had previously stated that ten children lose limbs every day in Gaza.

Officials have warned that rebuilding Gaza after the war could take years, raising questions about how children trapped in an area without schools will receive an education.

Throughout the war, Israeli airstrikes hit several UNRWA schools – despite their international protection status – which had been transformed into makeshift refugee camps.

Lazzarini said nearly 70 percent of UNRWA schools had been hit, highlighting “the blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.”

Last Saturday, an Israeli airstrike hit the Al-Tabeen school in Gaza City, killing around 100 people, including the elderly and children, according to local health authorities.

Although the attack was condemned worldwide, Israel shows no sign of letting up in its relentless bombardment.

Due to failed attempts to reach a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, there have been only ten days without attacks since October.

UNRWA plays a crucial role in providing education to Palestinian refugees, not only in the Gaza Strip but also in the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

In August, the agency announced it would launch a “back-to-learning program” for children in Gaza, providing psychosocial support through art, music and supportive activities, with the goal of resuming formal education as soon as possible.

Children make up half of the population in Gaza, over a million people. A shockingly high number of them have been orphaned during the war, say aid organizations.

Save the Children said in June that an estimated 21,000 children were missing, lost, detained or buried under rubble. At least 17,000 of them are believed to be unaccompanied and separated.