Conflict in Gaza disrupts school year for thousands of children

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Conflict in Gaza disrupts school year for thousands of children

2024-09-10 14:49 Last Updated At：20:27

Children in Gaza are bearing the brunt of the ongoing conflict with Israel, as thousands have been deprived of classes during schools opening, which would be Monday.

After 11 months of hostilities, more than 600,000 students are being deprived of access to formal education for another year, according to the UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA).

UNRWA reports that no official schooling is available in any of its 200 schools, with many serving as shelters for displaced Palestinians.

Instead of going to school, 12-year-old Iyad is selling juice at a street corner in Gaza City to help his family stay afloat amid the ongoing conflict. Iyad and his younger brother have taken to the streets - one selling juice, the other selling candy.

"I should have been in sixth grade, but I can't go to school anymore. We have to go out and sell things. I feel very sad because I miss school life. I have no homework or exams now. Every day, I hope to see my friends, but now I just sell things - selling drinks to help my father support the family. I often see attacks on the streets, and I'm very scared," said Iyad.

Throughout the Gaza Strip, there are countless children like Iyad. Karim is one of them, who was supposed to advance to a higher grade this September, but now spends his days dragging a large ice cooler through the streets, selling water. "Sitting in a classroom with teachers and classmates, learning together - that would be wonderful, much better than selling water. At least in school, we could study, play, and laugh together. We wouldn't be wasting time. We worked hard to get good grades, but since the outbreak of the conflict, we have been forced to sell things. That's the reality," said Karim.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the number of humanitarian missions and movements that Israeli authorities denied access in Gaza nearly doubled in August compared to July, with 105 missions and movements denied last month versus 53 the previous month.

ECB cuts interest rates by 25 basis points

2025-03-07 03:04 Last Updated At：03:17

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced on Thursday that it would slash key interest rates by 25 basis points in a bid to wind down the restrictive monetary policy.

Effective from March 12, the interest rates on the deposit facility, the main refinancing operations and the marginal lending facility will be decreased to 2.50 percent, 2.65 percent and 2.90 percent respectively, said the central bank in a statement.

The disinflation process is well on track, with headline inflation averaging 2.3 percent in 2025, 1.9 percent in 2026 and 2.0 percent in 2027, the ECB said.

The decision to keep on cutting rates came at a time when the economy in the eurozone is facing increasing uncertainties.

In its latest edition of the staff projections on Thursday, the ECB lowered its forecast for economic growth in the eurozone to 0.9 percent for 2025, 1.2 percent for 2026 and 1.3 percent for 2027.

This marks a downward revision from the ECB's forecast in December last year, which had projected 1.1 percent growth in 2025 and 1.4 percent in 2026, while the 2027 outlook remains unchanged.

The ECB attributed the weaker growth outlook for 2025 and 2026 to declining exports and sluggish investment, citing high trade policy uncertainty and broader economic instability as key factors.