Struggle and Solidarity: Writing Toward Palestinian Liberation

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Since Israel’s war began in Gaza, Palestinian university students have seen their education and futures upended. All universities have been damaged or destroyed, campuses have closed, and around 88,000 students have been deprived of access to higher education, according to Palestinian officials. Friends of Palestinian Universities has reported that nearly 1,400 university students have also been killed.

For some students, obtaining a scholarship abroad is no longer a privilege to have; it is a necessity to reclaim a future interrupted by war. Many European countries and universities have opened their doors for those students, with scholarships and programs offering a chance for survival. Many Palestinians have managed to leave Gaza, but this comes with another kind of suffering: They can study in safety abroad, yet cannot return home to their families.

I paid that price when I left home.

I was evacuated from Gaza to Italy in December 2025 after the war destroyed my university and all of my city. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship that allowed me to continue my bachelor’s degree in Italy. I am safe here, and I have a place to rebuild my future. However, my family is still in Gaza.

This is my first summer away from my homeland. I live in an apartment with international students. In the past weeks, I watched them pack their stuff and book tickets to go home. I watched them leaving in excitement to see their families and friends after an exhausting academic year. But I had to stay behind.

For Gaza’s Students, International Scholarships Offer Both Hope and Heartbreak

I was afraid to experience that moment, and I wasn’t ready to see my own pain reflected so visibly in front of me.

Leaving Gaza never looked like taking a plane from one country to another. It was more complex, more complicated. Palestinian students do not simply buy a ticket and travel to their destination. They walk into authority proceedings that feel impossible to schedule in a short while. Gaza’s borders are totally controlled by Israel and there is no way to leave Gaza as before through the Rafah border, as Israel has imposed a total blockade on the borders.

Special humanitarian corridors have to be created by the host country, students face visa issues and travel restrictions, and agreements between the governments and Israeli authorities determine whether they can leave from Gaza. Every step has to align before the scholars can leave. And they leave with........

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