Students from across the Gaza Strip gather in Gaza City for a mass rally, demanding the right to travel and study abroad. Photo: Ali Sbaih

While preparing for an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) on YouTube, the screen suddenly froze. I kept staring at my phone, waiting for the video to continue, but the connection wasn’t strong enough. Eventually, I fell asleep.

Trying to pursue an education in Gaza means every small step becomes a struggle. Behind every frozen screen and unstable connection lies the reality of students whose academic journeys are continually disrupted by war, displacement, electricity outages, and unreliable internet access.

When I turned 16, I joined the ACCESS Scholarship Program at Amideast, a two-year program funded by Education USA Gaza and considered the stepping stone for students who wish to study abroad. This program allowed me to develop my English language and leadership skills.

I also developed a passion for learning about different cultures around the world and dreamed about studying abroad. To do this required two things: completing my final year of high school exam (Tawjihi) and applying for the Amideast Hope Fund Scholarship to study in the United States. But this was 2023, and the war broke out before I could graduate. I eventually managed to complete Tawjihi, but it was two years later than originally planned.

I applied to universities around the world and was accepted to multiple institutions, but I needed one with a full scholarship. Eventually, I received an unconditional offer with a full tuition scholarship to study business administration at Hellenic American University in Athens, Greece. Receiving that admission meant far more than just getting accepted into a university. It felt like the reward for those years of struggle and perseverance. For the first time in years, I felt truly close to achieving the dream I had fought so hard for.

However, when I found out what was required to obtain a visa, my heart sank. I was required to sit an exam either at an official test center, which wasn’t available in Gaza because of the war, or online. The latter was also impossible for me because I didn’t have my physical passport, which I would have to display on the video call during the exam. My passport was stuck on the other side of the Rafah border, in Egypt. Why? Only Gazans have such stories. Palestinian passports are issued by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah (in the West Bank). I had mine sent from there to my uncle in Egypt, and there it remains because of the border closure.

In April 2026, a student protest movement called “Between the Dream and the Border,” or simply Herak, meaning “movement” in Arabic, was launched in Gaza. Their demand was simple: Open the Rafah border crossing. Herak was begun by a small group of students who had been accepted to study in Algeria but were unable to leave Gaza. One student, Yaqeen Abu Anza, proposed expanding the initiative to include all students with scholarships and university admissions from around the world so that the voices of students trapped in Gaza could have greater influence.

The administration of Herak was formed through a committee of around 30 students between the ages of 18 and 30. The movement included men and women from a wide range of disciplines and across all levels of higher education. Herak’s goal was to document the cases of students trapped in Gaza, and it had collected data on nearly 1,800 students who had received admissions or scholarships from more than 55 countries.

While a small number of countries, including Ireland, Italy, France, Switzerland, and the UK, have organized evacuations for some students holding university offers or scholarships, the vast majority have not. As a result, students accepted by universities in countries such as Germany, Greece, Malaysia, Australia, and all Arab countries remain trapped in Gaza despite having secured places to study. Without an official route to leave, these educational opportunities exist only on paper, preventing students from taking up their scholarships and continuing their education. In response, Herak began building networks and reached out to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, asking them to contact the ambassadors from these countries, so they could discuss evacuation measures with government officials.

I served as the representative for students who had received university admissions in Greece. I met students who had already been waiting for three years who felt abandoned by the institutions that once had welcomed them. Listening to their stories and frustrations motivated me to advocate for change. During one of the protests in Gaza City, I got to know Abdulrahman Abu Raya. I told him that I wanted to interview him and create a short film feature about him. I was enrolled in  a training program called Gaza Digital Voices with the Press House in Gaza, and during the mobile journalism course, I had to produce a final project, a feature documentary. I chose to focus on Abdulrahman because he was one of the founders of the Herak movement. I wanted to give his story a platform — his voice, his struggle, and his dream — to be heard and in this way to demonstrate the goal of this movement.

To draw attention to the cause, Herak held protests in front of the Journalists Syndicate building in Gaza City. Dozens of students gathered and waved their passports and university offers as proof of the futures they were struggling to reach. Students shouted, “Open the crossing before it is too late,” and “We are on the edge of losing our future.” Al-Jazeera and Al-kofiya reporters covered the demonstrations, delivering our message beyond Gaza’s physical borders. I took part in one of the protests in Gaza City because I felt a responsibility not only toward my own dream, but toward the dreams of all those students.

We ask only for access to education. Photo: Ali Sbaih

Together, we are fighting against some of the harshest and most painful circumstances imaginable in order to access quality education and reach the countries and universities we have dreamed about for years. We are not asking for special consideration; we are fighting for our basic right to learn, grow, and build a future. We continue to plan actions and we will not stop until we succeed. As I got more involved with Herak, I promised myself that I would do whatever it takes to defend our right to education and make our stories heard. On my way back to my displacement camp in Deir Al-Balah after one of the protests, I kept telling myself, “I fought hard to earn my place at a university, but I will fight even harder not to lose it.”

I refuse to accept the reality that tries to make me abandon my dream. The reality says I cannot leave, that I am trapped here, unable to travel beyond Gaza’s borders. But I will not accept that fate. My dream is to study abroad, to immerse myself in knowledge and opportunity so that I can return and serve my community. I will take this scholarship, and with every step I take, I will bring back what I learn to help rebuild Gaza, give hope, and create a future for us all.