A view through the gate of the Islamic University of Gaza, where bombed buildings have doubled as shelters for families amid the genocide, on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Khames Alrefi/Anadolu via Getty Images

Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi is a 19-year-old writer and poet from Gaza. She is currently a second-year English literature student at the Islamic University of Gaza.

In Gaza, where universities lie in rubble and classrooms have been replaced by screens, education has refused to die. Amid the constant hum of drones and power outages, students and educators have fought to keep learning — and to restore their campuses for the next generation.

Studying was “an escape,” amid the genocide, said Aseel, a student of English translation at the Islamic University of Gaza, “a small space of hope and ac

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