GAZA, (PIC)
Humanitarian crises continue to pile up in the Gaza Strip, and the suffering of students stranded out of the Strip or those who won scholarships abroad is one of the most urgent issues.
Educational opportunities for such students become a race against time, at risk of slipping away at any moment.
The Palestinian student Mohammad Barakat, 19, who has secured a scholarship in Türkiye, says that every day of delay puts his future at stake.
“I have completed all my procedures and have been waiting to evacuation from Gaza for months,” Barakat explained, adding that the semester has already started, which makes the passage of time feel like the opportunity is slipping further away.
Mohammad is not an isolated case, but one example of dozens of students who finalized their academic arrangements only to remain stranded due to restrictions on travel.
Meanwhile, Aya al-Khatib, 21, who received a university admission in Europe, highlighted that her anxiety is no longer just about delays but about potentially losing the opportunity altogether.
“If I didn’t arrive by the deadline that my university gave me, my admission could be canceled,” Aya explained, adding that everything is on hold.
Aya added that many students have started considering lower quality alternatives simply to avoid losing an entire academic year.
For his part, father of one student said that he spent years supporting his son through his education, pointing out that the whole family is experiencing tough time thinking that their son’s lifetime endeavor might be in vain.
The father stressed that the ongoing uncertainty is exhausting both students and their families, especially in the absence of any clear path toward a solution.
At the same time, calls are growing for human rights organizations and local and international bodies to classify students among humanitarian cases that require special travel facilitation.
Activists have launched an initiative titled “Between the Dream and the Crossing”, organizing vigils and sending messages to amplify students’ voices and press relevant authorities to uphold their right to travel and continue their education.
Experts said the issue represents a real test of the commitment to protecting the right to education as a fundamental right that must not be obstructed.
Hundreds of students in Gaza face a complex reality where personal aspirations collide with movement restrictions, leaving their futures dependent on a crossing decision that may come too late.
Until then, the same story continues to unfold, empty seats in classrooms abroad and deferred dreams within closed borders.
