For Gaza's Students, Exams Are Far More Than a Test. They Are Hope for a Future.

"There is no engagement with the youth who studied under bombardment, no voice for the high school students whose determination defied the arrogance of war. Here in Gaza, where schools have been turned into piles of rubble, young people are rewriting the story of resilience: a story of education practiced as an act of resistance, and hope rising from beneath the ruins."

"My brother Mohammed recently managed to achieve one of the highest scores in the high school exams after two years of siege and famine. His story is not just a personal success - it is a testimony to a generation that refuses to surrender, and a call for the world to reconsider the "future of Gaza" now being decided in closed rooms."

Since October 7, 2023, students across Gaza have been denied their right to education as schools became shelters for the displaced and frequent targets. More than 97 percent of Gaza's schools have been destroyed, including those run by UNRWA. Young people who studied under bombardment persist in pursuing education as an act of resistance, achieving high exam results despite siege, famine, and rubble. U.S. and Israeli negotiators consider Gaza's future without engaging Gaza's youth, excluding their voices from ceasefire, post-conflict decisions, and plans for reconstruction while hope and resilience rise beneath the ruins.

Read at Truthout