School offers no respite for the children. The majority of schools are forced, by economic and demographic pressure, to have two shifts. In order to cope, teachers tend to be strict disciplinarians, who will deliver corporeal punishment during lessons if a child so much as gets an answer wrong. The majority of Gaza population are Muslim. Islam for them is a mixture of divine rules and cultural traditions, demanding absolute compliance, even a fatalistic approach to every day life.
Men gain power through money and political position.
They tend to consider their women and the family as a whole to be their exclusive property. The children of the refugee camps became involved in the Intifada due to these conditions. They were being defiant, defending their play ground, their territory against the invading Israeli army. They were also rebelling against all forms of imposed authority, including that of family and teacher. And they were reacting to the sight of the humiliation of their fathers, who were helpless when abused or beaten by Israeli soldiers.