Before the war, Rahaf Al-Kafarneh, a 17-year-old from Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, consistently achieved first place in her school.

My sister, Somya, who taught Rahaf in tenth grade, says, “Rahaf is an outstanding and diligent student. My colleagues and I eagerly awaited her graduation, confident that she would achieve first place across all of Palestine.”

In 2021, Rahaf participated in the Remote Theater competition. For this, Rahaf and her team wrote, directed, and performed a play entitled “Welcome to Earth” in which aliens explore our planet; when they return to outer space, they share their positive and negative experiences on Earth. Afterwards the aliens decide to return to Earth to save it.

Despite the numerous challenges Rahaf faced, including prolonged internet and power outages, she trained hard and competed, driven by a strong determination to convey a message to the world: that Palestinians are distinguished despite the hardships they endure. This determination propelled her to reach for excellence, and her team achieved first place globally.

In September 2022, Rahaf and her team were rewarded for their achievement with a trip to Ireland, a pivotal milestone in her life and dreams. At the awards ceremony Rahaf, stood before the audience and delivered a speech expressing the obstacles she overcame in the competition: “I am Palestinian, and today, I have sent my message to the entire world — that nothing can keep me from pursuing my dreams, whether big or small, and my short-term and long-term goals.

“Despite all difficulties and challenges, I accomplished this with love, passion, determination, and willpower. In my heart, the resilient whispers of my dreams remain, becoming the light that guides me through the darkest places and the hope that defies the shadows of time.”

During her visit, she met numerous individuals and educators and had the opportunity to visit Queen’s University Belfast, where she spoke to professors about her aspiration to study medicine. Impressed by her ambition, the university offered her a scholarship to commence upon completing her high school exams in Gaza. This promise to study medicine in Ireland motivated her to persist and persevere.

However, on October 7, 2023, as Rahaf was preparing to head to school, the sound of missiles interrupted her plans. “Things started to deteriorate in northern Gaza, forcing us to move to the south of the Strip in search of safety, though we knew there was no safe place in Gaza,” she recalls. With each passing day, Rahaf felt her dream slipping away. By the end of that month, life had become increasingly difficult, as her family’s refugee tent lacked the basic necessities for living.

Rahaf refused to give up. “I would walk long distances just to download books and study on my own,” she says. Her dedication led to a second scholarship that would enable her to complete high school in Ireland before moving on to her medical studies in that country. This renewed her hope and desire to continue her studies during the war and strengthened her belief that nothing could stand in her way. However, the closing of the Rafah border in May 2024 prevented her from leaving Gaza.

She continued her studies online, despite limited access to the internet and electricity. She pushes forward, walking long distances to find a connection and attend her classes virtually.

Rahaf says, “The internet disconnects repeatedly during my classes, causing me to miss many important details.” She  spends hours at a location with solar energy waiting for her phone to charge.

Due to Rahaf’s repeated displacements, losing all her belongings each time, having books or even being able to afford the cost of printing study materials is impossible. Even getting basic student supplies like paper and pens is challenging.

During her last displacement, Rahaf injured her leg due to the long distances she had to walk. She was in the hospital for a month and unable to continue her studies while there.

The occupation and war want to tighten their grip on Rahaf and prevent her from continuing her studies and achieving her dreams. But even now Rahaf’s determination and her dream to study medicine in Ireland remain far stronger than the increasing obstacles she faces.