GAZA, (PIC)
“I spent two years studying at the Faculty of Medicine at the Islamic University of Gaza, and I was very diligent. I spent all my time with books and keeping up with everything new in my field. My goal was to complete my courses and reach the field training in the hospital, specializing in pediatrics,” with these words, student Aya Abu Al-Ata began her speech after the university life came to a halt for the past seven months due to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza Strip.
She continued, in an interview with the Palestinian Information Center, “The Israeli war on Gaza destroyed everything we built for our future. There are no universities, no schools, and no institutions left. They destroyed everything in Gaza. In short, they destroyed our entire lives.”
She struck her fist against her palm, expressing her confusion and helplessness, with tears streaming down her face out of concern and fear for her lost future. She affirmed that Israel, in its genocidal war, seeks to crush Palestinian consciousness under the tracks of tanks and the missiles of planes, but she believes they it not succeed.
Destruction of all universities
All Palestinian universities in the Gaza Strip, 12 universities, have suffered complete destruction or significant damage as a result of Israeli airstrikes, artillery shelling, or even detonation.
According to the Euro-Med monitor for Human Rights based in Geneva, the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip have led to the destruction of the infrastructure of higher education.
The Euro-Med monitor estimates that the damage incurred by the universities amounts to more than 200 million euros. At least three university presidents, more than 95 deans and professors have been killed since October 7th of last year. Approximately 88,000 students have been forced to suspend their studies, and 555 other students who hold international scholarships have been unable to travel abroad.
The Euro-Med monitor stated that the Israeli army carried out deliberate and targeted attacks against academic, scientific, and intellectual figures in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of them were killed in direct airstrikes that targeted their homes without prior warning, crushing them under the rubble with their families or other displaced families who sought refuge with them.
The Euro-Med monitor’s documented list includes 17 professors, 59 PhD holders, and 18 master’s degree holders, noting that the tally is not final. There are estimates of other academics being targeted, as they are distributed across various scientific fields, representing the “pillars of academic work in Gaza’s universities.”
According to the human rights observatory, preliminary estimates also indicate the martyrdom of hundreds of university students as a result of the ongoing Israeli attacks.
Forms of crime
In terms of violations and crimes against universities, some of them were transformed into barracks or detention centers before being demolished, as was the case with Al-Isra University, which was destroyed on January 17th of last year as a result of the bombing. Images of it spread on social media, and according to the administration, soldiers looted artifacts from the National Museum located in one of the institution’s wings before the explosion.
Furthermore, the main site of Al-Azhar University in Gaza City and its branch in the Maghazi area were destroyed in three consecutive airstrikes on October 11th, and on November 4th and 21st, 2023.
In October, the Israeli occupation army announced the destruction of Islamic University in Gaza City, claiming that it served as a main rehabilitation and training center for Hamas engineers, a charge denied by the Palestinian Ministry of Education.
The occupation army then proceeded to destroy the remaining universities and cause significant damage to them, making it extremely difficult to resume studying in them.
This is in addition to the martyrdom of a large number of students and professors in the Israeli bombing and massacres. Several sources have mentioned that around 100 academics in Gaza universities have been martyred since the start of the war, including Professor Fadel Abu Hayan, a lecturer in psychology at Al-Aqsa University and a well-known researcher internationally, who was intentionally killed by an Israeli sniper.
At the end of November, the house of Sufian Al-Tayeh, a well-known physicist and president of Islamic University, was bombed in Jabalia, and he was killed along with all members of his family.
In early December, writer, poet, and researcher Refat Al-Ar’ir was killed by a guided missile. He was an expert in literature and creative writing at the same university. His sister and her family were also killed in the same bombing.
It is certain that Israel has worked on the complete destruction of Palestinian academia, a destruction that will require Palestinians many years to rebuild in the event of a reconstruction process.
Random revenge
Dr. Farid Abu Daher, a media professor at Al-Najah University, confirmed that targeting universities is part of targeting everything Palestinian in the Gaza Strip, as part of a random revenge to destroy all the components of life, including schools, universities, and hospitals.
In a press statement, Abu Daher explains that targeting universities also comes within the context of stripping Palestinians of their vital components, which are awareness, thought, culture, and education. Although Israel is well aware that everything will be rebuilt in the future, it wants to convey a message that says, “Do not hope to have anything to rely on.”
He adds that Israel and its military leaders also understand the impact of what happens to individuals and their lives during and after the war, “so the operation aims to kill awareness among Palestinians.”
Abu Daher believes that targeting Palestinian academics in Gaza falls within the context of targeting everyone, such as the killing of journalists, doctors, engineers, UN employees, and humanitarian relief workers. However, he does not exclude the possibility that targeting some influential academic figures with significant societal stature aims to kill anything symbolic in Palestinian society.
