Gaza Herald – Students at the Islamic University of Gaza returned to in-person classes for the first time in two years, navigating a campus devastated by Israel’s systematic attacks on the besieged enclave. The university, partially reopened after the October ceasefire, now shelters roughly 500 displaced families inside buildings reduced to hollow shells by relentless bombardment. Tents and makeshift structures filled the grounds where lecture halls once stood, illustrating the dual crises of homelessness and educational collapse.
Professors and staff improvised with limited resources, using plastic sheeting to cover exposed walls and generators to power essential equipment. Only four classrooms were operational, forcing thousands of students to adapt to improvised learning conditions amid persistent power outages and equipment shortages.
Gaza’s education system suffered catastrophic losses during the war. According to the Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, 494 schools and universities were partially or completely destroyed, with 137 reduced to rubble. The attacks claimed the lives of 12,800 students, 760 teachers, and 150 academics, while Isra University, previously the last functioning campus in Gaza, was demolished in January 2024.
UNESCO estimated that over 95 percent of higher education campuses across Gaza sustained severe damage, while UN experts warned that this “scholasticide”, the systematic destruction of education, was part of a deliberate effort to dismantle Palestinian society’s foundations. Remote learning initiatives were repeatedly disrupted by electricity blackouts, internet outages, and ongoing displacement.
Despite these obstacles, students resumed studies as a top priority. Many, including medical students, expressed cautious optimism, viewing the return to in-person classes as a step toward reclaiming normalcy and rebuilding Gaza’s shattered educational system from scratch.
