Maryam Rayan

“I have been working in education for 25 years, yet I have never encountered circumstances as difficult as those we have lived through due to the blockade of Madama. From the moment I left my home until I returned, I felt tense, fearful, and anxious, all because I am responsible for the lives of 135 children at the kindergarten, while the streets are filled with soldiers or settlers,”

Maryam Rayan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-23

Rayan, who has worked in education for 25 years, described the fear and anxiety she felt ensuring the safety of 135 children while soldiers and settlers filled the streets due to the blockade.

“The kindergarten bus would have to stop near the earthen barrier after we verified that no soldiers or settlers were present, and we would wait for the children to arrive on a local shuttle from within the village. I would then cross the barrier on foot to help them get over it, one by one. It was a tragic scene, but we had no other choice,”

Maryam Rayan · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-23

Rayan described the dangerous process of helping kindergarten children cross an earthen barrier on foot to get to and from school during the blockade of Madama.