In Gaza today, there are no classrooms. There is no safe place to learn.
There is barely any food to eat.
Children are not returning to school—they are being buried. Families are not making plans—they are searching for water, for shelter, for missing loved ones. Teachers, once cornerstones of the community, are now among the displaced, the grieving, or the dead.
This is not just a humanitarian emergency. It is the collapse of a society. It is a crisis of conscience.
At Phoenix Space, we are an education organisation. Our work is rooted in the belief that every young person deserves access to the tools and imagination needed to shape a better future. But today, we must say clearly:
Before we talk about education, let Gaza live.
What Is Happening in Gaza Cannot Be Normalized
The situation in Gaza is not simply “difficult.” It is catastrophic—and worsening.
- Famine is imminent. Children are dying not from bullets, but from starvation and dehydration.
- Schools have been bombed or turned into shelters. Even UN facilities are no longer safe.
- Over 53,000 people have been killed, more than a half of them women and children. Entire families have been erased.
- The psychological toll is immeasurable. For children who survive, the trauma will shape a lifetime.
This is not a natural disaster. It is the direct result of siege, bombardment, and international paralysis. Civilians—especially children—are being systematically deprived of food, water, safety, and dignity.
This is what mass atrocity looks like in real time. And the world is watching.
A Call for Political and Humanitarian Action
Phoenix Space joins the growing global call for:
- An immediate and permanent ceasefire
- Full and unconditional humanitarian access to all parts of Gaza
- The end of collective punishment tactics, including the blockade of food, water, and fuel
- Political accountability and the courage to name what is happening
This is not about politics. This is about humanity.
Every hour of delay costs lives. Every moment of silence enables further loss.
What We Are Doing—and What We Cannot Do
Phoenix Space works with displaced and marginalized students across the Middle East, including Palestinians in refugee camps and in the diaspora.
Our Leap Higher Program provides scholarships for the exceptionally talented Palestinian learners that are currently outside of Gaza, whose education has been disrupted by war, displacement, and systemic neglect.
For young and talented Palestinian outside of Gaza, Leap Higher offers a unique pathway to sustained, high-quality learning at world’s best universities. We are proud of what it represents: a refusal to accept erasure, and a commitment to building futures even in the shadow of loss.
You can read more about this program here: https://phoenixspace.org/leaphigher/
But let us be honest:
No educational program can function where there is no food, no safety, and no shelter.
Interstellar cannot reach a starving child under rubble. It cannot replace the warmth of a classroom or the protection of a peaceful society. It was never meant to. What it can do is stand in solidarity. It can hold space for Palestinian brilliance, curiosity, and strength when the world tries to bury it.
Before We Rebuild, We Must Protect Life
We believe deeply in education. But education does not exist outside of justice. It cannot thrive under siege. It cannot substitute for safety.
So today, we are asking our supporters, fellow NGOs, and donors to do more than fund our work. We are asking you to speak out:
- Call your representatives.
- Amplify Palestinian voices.
- Donate to trusted humanitarian organizations.
- Refuse the normalization of genocide.
Let Gaza live—not someday, but now. Not conditionally, but fully. Not as a political talking point, but as a community of people with the same right to joy, learning, and future as any child anywhere.
Phoenix Space remains committed to Palestinian youth—not as beneficiaries, but as agents of change. But today, before we can talk about learning, we must demand the most basic right: the right to live.
