In Khan Younis, southern Gaza, siblings Sama, Abdullah and Nada Musa celebrated strong Tawjihi results announced on July 24 after studying through war, displacement and uncertainty. Sama scored 97.5 percent, Abdullah 94.6 percent and Nada 94.4 percent in the examinations that shape Palestinian high school students’ academic futures. Because of physical disabilities, Abdullah and Nada could not attend private lessons, so their family arranged for teachers to visit their home.

Education Minister Amjad Barham said about 89,000 students from the occupied West Bank, occupied East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip took Tawjihi examinations this year, while 2,000 more sat them in 46 other countries. He said more than 106,000 Gaza students had taken the exams over the past three years, including 36,900 in 2026. More than 1,100 students due to sit this year’s examinations were killed by Israel, he said.

The UN said in November that more than 97 percent of Gaza schools had been damaged or destroyed over two years of war, with nearly 92 percent of education facilities needing full reconstruction or major rehabilitation. Teacher Hanaa al-Sayed held classes in Deir el-Balah at a school also sheltering displaced people. Tala Abu Sukkar, who lost several relatives during the war, scored 86 percent while living with her uncle.