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Young men walking on university campus.

Education in Gaza is a specter for Israel that it seeks to destroy

By targeting educators and universities, Israel devastates students’ futures and destroys a tool of resistance.
Young woman in formal purple gown and headdress.
Alaa Arafat
  • Gaza Strip
Young men walking on university campus.
The campus of Islamic University of Gaza, before the war. Photo: Islamic University of Gaza Instagram account

 

The suffering of people in Gaza is not limited only to the lack of food, clean drinking water, or having a safe place to live. Depriving all students in the Strip from education at all levels (primary, secondary, and higher education), and destroying students’ dreams of completing their education, has also greatly increased their physical and psychological crises. Now they are not only concerned for their immediate safety, but what the future holds for them even if they survive.

Education is a weapon for Gazans. A large group of enlightened and educated people in various specializations means the development and prosperity of the Gaza Strip in all aspects of life, especially economically, intellectually, and militarily. In addition, increasing the number of educated people means increasing awareness of the Palestinian issue, our rights in and to our land, and the necessity of defending these rights. Therefore, Israel seeks to destroy the educational system, along with the dreams of its students: to kill this specter which threatens her future and to divest this weapon from the hands of its bearers.

Targeting brilliant minds

The Israel Defense Forces has bombed a large number of schools and universities, targeting the brilliant minds playing a major role in the process of Gazan education. As a result, the dreams of an entire generation have been shattered and this generation has lost all forms of education.

Among the many university professors killed by the IDF are Drs. Refaat Al-Areer, Sufyan Tayeh, and Naser Abu-Elnoor. Those are just a few stars from many who are not mentioned.

Let’s start with Dr. Al-Areer, a Palestinian writer, poet, professor, and activist, known as the English language pioneer. He was conveying Gaza’s voice to the outside world, especially at the start of the 2023 war on Gaza. He conducted many interviews on local and foreign affiliates, such as the BBC News Channel, until he was killed by the IDF in an airstrike on his sister’s house where he was staying.

Sufyan Tayeh was a Palestinian academic, physicist, and researcher in the field of applied mathematics. He served as president of the Islamic University from August 2023 until his martyrdom in an airstrike on his home.

Young male student standing before a poster.
Abdul Aziz as a new university student. Photo: Alaa Arafat

Naser Abu-Elnoor was a Palestinian nurse at Al-Shifa Hospital and assistant professor at the College of Nursing at the Islamic University. Nasser was martyred with his wife and sons in an airstrike on his house on Al-Jonenah Street in Rafah City.

Israel has ended the lives of many scholars and scientists, leaving ignorance and darkness in the Gaza Strip.

Depriving the next generation of scholars

In June of each year, high school exams began as usual for students in the West Bank, while Gazans were deprived of them. I was greatly affected by the story of Qusay, one of the victims of the crime of deprivation of education.

Qusay is my friend’s brother and he lived in El-Shaboura camp in Rafah. We lived in his family’s house for two weeks before moving to the camp in Rafah and building our tent.

Qusay is an ambitious young student who dreams of entering university and specializing in electrical engineering. However, this dream was not destined to last long, as he only attended classes for two months before the war began and his studies were brought to an end.

Young man tending fire in makeshift outdoor stove.
Abdul Aziz is now focused on survival. Photo: Alaa Arafat

Another story, that of my nephew Abdul Aziz, is not much different from Qusay’s. Abdul Aziz passed high school last year with an average of 88% and registered at the Islamic University in the Information Technology Department, the specialty he dreamed of entering since childhood.

Unfortunately, after just two weeks of studying at the university and buying the required books, the war began and stood in the way of achieving his goals.

Qusay and Abdul Aziz share a simple dream: to complete their education. But this dream collapsed, destroyed just like the schools and universities flattened as a result of this fierce war.

Education is a right for everyone. But it has become an impossible dream for Gazan students. Israel seeks to destroy education, because an educated generation is aware of the falsities Israel perpetuates and the truth of history. Education is one of the only weapons left for Gazans, and Israel has reduced it to rubble.

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