Students, staff work to bring the Islamic University of Gaza back to life

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that students and staff at the Islamic University of Gaza are trying to restore higher education after extensive wartime destruction to one of Gaza’s most prominent universities. The article, published July 27, 2026, says the university had been known before the war for programmes requiring hands-on training, including medicine, health sciences and engineering, but that Israeli attacks and the siege have severely disrupted its ability to teach.

According to the report, university officials said the damage includes 19 educational buildings destroyed, about 500 classrooms, 200 scientific laboratories and 75 computer labs badly damaged, and more than 240,000 library materials lost. Abdulraouf Ali al-Manama, dean of the health sciences faculty, described the past three years as a historic disaster for the institution, citing destroyed academic buildings, laboratories, clinics, books and equipment, along with displacement, power and internet cuts, and the psychological burden on students and staff.

The loss of laboratories has especially affected courses where practical work is central. Al Jazeera says the university has used digital simulations, recorded experiments and theoretical instruction in subjects such as microbiology, biochemistry, haematology, molecular diagnostics and physical therapy, while also coordinating with hospitals and local health centres where possible. Laboratory coordinator Yassin al-Nounou said equipment intended to improve medical and health sciences training had arrived shortly before the war, but much of the infrastructure needed to use it was later lost.

The report also highlights medical student Deema Muhaisen, who said her education shifted from university labs to overcrowded hospitals, where doctors were focused on treating patients. She volunteered in emergency, wound care and surgery departments to gain experience. The university is now looking for ways to gradually resume in-person teaching when conditions permit.