For the first time in two years, students have returned to in-person classes at Gaza’s Islamic University, reopening amid widespread destruction and displacement caused by Israeli military operations. The partial resumption of teaching marks a fragile step toward normalcy on a campus that has been largely reduced to rubble, with only four classrooms currently functional.

According to Al Jazeera, around 500 displaced families are now sheltering within the university grounds, where lecture halls have become makeshift living spaces. UNESCO reports that more than 95% of Gaza’s higher education institutions have been damaged or destroyed since the 2023 conflict began. Human rights groups and UN experts have described the systematic devastation of Gaza’s education sector as “scholasticide.”

Despite dire conditions, faculty members continue teaching with minimal resources, covering open walls with plastic sheets and borrowing generators for electricity. Observers warn that the destruction of schools and universities threatens the social and intellectual foundation of Palestinian society, with over 750,000 students deprived of education for two consecutive academic years.