Less than 50% of students in areas where schools allowed to reopen are back in class

On the first day when some Israeli schools have been allowed to reopen following two weeks of closure due to the war, less than half of eligible students have returned to classrooms, according to Education Ministry data.

Beginning today, schools in areas deemed at lower risk from missile fire were allowed to open, provided they have protected areas where students can shelter while under attack from Iran or Hezbollah. Lower-risk areas are marked “yellow” according to a government color-coding system.

Of the 365,000 students who live in “yellow” regions, 173,000, or 47 percent, have returned to in-person classes.

The yellow areas include the Beit She’an Valley, Jordan Valley, West Bank, Dead Sea area, Ashkelon area, Gaza border communities and other areas in southern Israel.

After the HFC’s latest assessment on Saturday night, several municipalities announced they would not reopen schools yet, including Ashkelon, Dimona, and the West Bank settlement of Ariel.

“Many thousands of students in municipalities classified as ‘yellow’ have already returned to educational institutions today,” says Education Minister Yoav Kisch. “This marks a first step in a gradual and responsible process.”

“The next step for the education system will be to approve an ad-hoc plan to allow special education frameworks to operate under a safe framework throughout the country,” he adds.

Schools in major cities including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa remain closed.