Amid Israeli destruction, Islamic University of Gaza resumes on-site classes
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Students at Gaza’s Islamic University have resumed face-to-face classes for the first time in two years, returning to a campus that has been largely destroyed and turned into a shelter for displaced families after Israel’s war on the enclave.
The university in Gaza City reopened after the ceasefire in October, but its buildings now house around 500 families, many of whom are living inside structures reduced to bare shells. Even so, the limited restart of classes has offered a sense of hope to thousands of students, despite the absence of anything resembling normal academic conditions.
According to UNESCO estimates, more than 95% of higher-education institutions in Gaza have been badly damaged or destroyed since the war began in October 2023. Human rights organisations and UN experts have described the devastation as “scholasticide”, referring to what they see as the systematic dismantling of Gaza’s education system. The Gaza-based Al Mezan Center for Human Rights has said this has left over 750,000 students without access to schooling for two consecutive academic years, Al Jazeera reported.
Data cited by Al Mezan earlier this year indicated that 494 schools and universities have been partially or completely destroyed, including 137 that were flattened entirely. The same figures show that 12,800 students have been killed, along with 760 teachers and education staff and 150 academics and researchers. Isra University, previously the last functioning university in Gaza, was demolished by Israeli forces in January 2024.
At the Islamic University, faculty members are attempting to teach with minimal resources amid electricity shortages, lack of equipment and unsuitable classrooms. Lecturer Adel Awadallah said staff have resorted to covering exposed walls with plastic sheets to create makeshift learning spaces. With only four classrooms currently usable, thousands of students are relying on these temporary arrangements to continue their studies.
UN experts warned in April 2024 that the scale of destruction appeared aimed at dismantling the foundations of Palestinian society. They said that attacks on schools erase not only buildings but also aspirations, describing the pattern as systematic violence against educational infrastructure.
Beyond the physical damage, families struggling to obtain food, water and medical care find it extremely difficult to prioritise education. Efforts at remote learning by the Ministry of Education and UNRWA have also been hampered by power cuts, poor internet connectivity and continued displacement.
Despite these obstacles and the trauma of prolonged bombardment and personal loss, students have repeatedly said that returning to education remains one of their highest priorities, seeing it as a way to regain a sense of normal life and protect their future.