Classrooms or Battlefields? Israeli Students Begin Year Under Fire
Israeli schools welcome 2.5M students amid security concerns, teacher shortages, and student protests over Gaza hostages.
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The new academic year opened across Israel this Monday, welcoming 2.587 million students and 253,000 teachers back to classrooms. Yet the sense of renewal is tempered by deep challenges: security concerns, a persistent teacher shortage, and a wave of student-led protests over the hostages still held in Gaza.
Security First
Education Minister Yoav Kisch confirmed that the government has allocated additional funding to secure schools nationwide. “The safety of students is a red line,” Kisch declared on Sunday, stressing that the year would not have started without the security budget in place.
Who’s Returning to Class
According to Education Ministry data:
In total, the country now operates 5,807 schools and 21,600 kindergartens.
Teacher Shortages Continue
Despite recent recruitment drives, the Education Ministry acknowledges ongoing gaps, with 216 vacancies in core subjects. Still, this marks progress: last year’s shortage was 504, and in 2023 it reached 1,674.
Education advocacy group Pnima noted that the school system has grown rapidly, expanding by 1.1 million students since 2002, a 2% annual increase that continues to strain resources.
Students Demand Action for Hostages
Beyond logistics, politics entered the classroom on day one. In more than 60 high schools, students organized strikes and demonstrations, calling for the return of 48 hostages still held in Gaza.
“We can’t start the year as if nothing happened,” said Naomi Or Ofek, 15, from Tel Aviv.
Or’s family has both freed and still-captive relatives, making her a prominent voice in the protest movement. Demonstrations are planned in front of the Education Ministry in Tel Aviv and other cities.
Return to Gaza Border Schools
In the Gaza border region, 23,700 students resumed classes, 2,000 more than were enrolled before the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. For hundreds who were displaced that day, this marks their first return to local schools.
Regional councils including Sderot, Hof Ashkelon, Sha’ar Hanegev, Eshkol and Sdot Hanegev have seen population growth, fueling the rise in student numbers despite ongoing security risks.