After I passed Tawjihi, or the final year of secondary school, and graduated in 2023, I didn’t apply for any international scholarships to pursue my studies. At the time, there were good options to study in Gaza; schools such as the Islamic University and Al-Azhar University were considered among the top-ranked institutions in the enclave.
I decided to attend the Islamic University in Gaza City to study English language translation, starting classes in September. I felt satisfied, because everything I needed as a university student was always available—library books, a comfortable campus, qualified professors, and classes that challenged and excited me.
But like other students my age, I spent only one month at the university before the Israeli war on Gaza broke out. Since then, our education has been disrupted. Those who had applied for international scholarships before the genocide were unable to leave Gaza due to Israel’s complete closure in May 2024 of the Rafah border crossing—the only way for Palestinians in Gaza to leave and enter the enclave. Even while being in constant danger of Israeli bombardment, thousands of students tried to apply for scholarships in order to resume their studies in a safe place abroad. However, many of those whose applications were accepted still could not leave because of the Israeli siege.
Aya Najar, a current student at the Islamic University of Gaza, finished secondary school in 2023 with one of the highest exam grades in all of Gaza that year. After passing Tawjihi, Aya applied for a scholarship in Algeria provided by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education, but before she knew whether or not she was accepted, the war began.
For many students like Aya, the genocide has faded their dreams of higher and stable education, despite their repeated attempts. They’re faced with obstacles like unstable Internet access and, because only a very limited number of countries offered evacuation arrangements, difficulties leaving the enclave. In addition, the language tests required for most scholarships are often unavailable in Gaza because the centers where people usually take these exams have been closed or destroyed. These conditions have ruined many students’ dreams of studying abroad.
In September 2024, Aya opened her email to find that her application had been successfully evaluated by the scholarship committee. After completing an online interview, Aya was finally shortlisted for the scholarship. Algeria, however, does not provide any evacuation operations for students in Gaza who are selected to study at its universities, so Aya could not pursue the opportunity.
Instead, she enrolled in online learning at the Islamic University of Gaza to continue her studies while still looking for scholarship opportunities. In January 2025, when the international Turkish scholarship opened for international applicants, Aya immediately applied; in October, the results were announced, and Aya had been shortlisted.
“I felt this would be a life-transforming moment,” Aya says. But in this instance, like Algeria, Turkey also did not evacuate its selected students. Another door had closed in front of her dream. The same cycle repeated when she applied for a Jordanian scholarship designated for Gazan students later that year.
After this series of disappointments, Aya stopped applying for scholarships. “In Gaza,” she says, “it is so challenging to make your dreams come true.”
Shortly before October 7, 2023, Sadeq Nawaf graduated from Al-Azhar University in Gaza and earned a scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in Malaysia. Before he could travel, he had to complete several procedures—tasks that became impossible to complete when the war cut off electricity in Gaza and severely reduced Internet access. The borders closed soon thereafter, diminishing his chances of leaving.
Others have been fortunate enough to leave after a long journey marked by repeated attempts, disappointment, and rejection. Sara Awad, a former student at the Islamic University, left Gaza for school in Italy in December.
“Online learning is not what I wanted,” she says.
Throughout the war, Sara says she applied for every scholarship she saw. She was accepted by several universities abroad, but evacuation issues and language tests prevented her from leaving every time. So when she applied for a scholarship in Italy last May, she didn’t have high expectations.
“Like the previous ones, I told myself it would not happen,” she says. But this time, after she was accepted, the university informed her that, because of the ceasefire, the Italian government was able to evacuate her.
“That moment was among the happiest,” she adds.
This is how Gaza’s students pursue their dreams. They take every possible chance they can to build a better future—a future they hope is free of the uncertainty and volatility that awaits them if they stay.
These students represent only a small fraction of the thousands who have applied for international scholarships multiple times. Those that have managed to leave did so not because they disliked Gaza, but because their homeland could no longer offer them a safe or promising future. In leaving, they left behind their families, friends, and the place where they grew up.
This is the price of seeking a better future in Gaza.
I have always wished to be one of the students who makes it out, but luck has not favored me. I am currently in my third year at the Islamic University, with just one year left until graduation, so I no longer apply for undergraduate scholarships. Once I graduate, I plan to apply for every master’s degree scholarship I come across.
I know it will be difficult, but my future in Gaza will be even harder. Like all students in Gaza, I want to study safely and professionally. I want to build a future where my memories of studying are not tinged with grief and pain, but with a sense of pride and accomplishment.