Name: Gazas students celebrate their graduations after two years of war
Uploaded: 2025-11-08T11:56:47.948Z
Duration: 1 min 51 s
Description: Though the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, Gazans are finding reason to celebrate, their students. In Khan Yunis, in the south of the enclave, the first graduation ceremony in more than two years was held yesterday.

Though the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains fragile, Gazans are finding reason to celebrate, their students. In Khan Yunis, in the south of the enclave, the first graduation ceremony in more than two years was held yesterday.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

The U.S-brokered ceasefire deal in Gaza is holding, after Hamas released the remaining Israeli hostages.

Middle East Conflict

Residents of Gaza celebrated the graduation of English language and teaching methods students from Al-Aqsa University, marking the first such event in more than two years due to ongoing conflict. The ceremony, held in Khan Yunus, was marked by both joy and sorrow, as many students have lost family members and homes to the war.

Despite significant challenges, including remote learning and the use of university buildings as shelters, faculty and students persevered using available technology. According to the United Nations, at least 90% of educational buildings in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands of students deprived of regular education.

Gaza's students celebrate their graduations after two years of war

To the rhythm of the Dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance, residents celebrate the graduation of students in English language and teaching methods from Al-Aqsa University, the first graduates after more than two years of war. The residents of Khan Yunus have not organized celebrations like this for a long time. I am not only a graduate in English language and teaching methods, but also living proof that the human spirit cannot be defeated, no matter how harsh the circumstances. Under the gaze of her husband, daughter and fellow graduates, the young woman bursts into tears. Like many other students in the room, numerous members of her family have been killed by Israeli bombings in recent years. After two years of war, loss and destruction that took my family, my mother, sister, brother-in-law and niece, as well as my home and many of my loved ones, hope is reborn. Despite the suffering, the war and its tragedies, we remain strong in the face of adversity. Most classes had to be held remotely for months. The university buildings are still being used as shelters for displaced Gazans. We continue to teach with the means available to us, using the technology we have at our disposal, despite its limitations, such as social media platforms and WhatsApp groups. We invited our students to interact with us, and their response was tremendous. According to the United Nations, at least 90% of schools and university buildings in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged by Israeli strikes. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian students and school children are still deprived of education today.

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Gaza's students celebrate their graduations after two years of war

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