In an extraordinary scene that sums up the resilience of Palestinians in the face of one of the harshest contemporary wars, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the Gaza Strip announced the results of the 2026 general secondary school exams on Tuesday afternoon. Of course, this comes at a time when the Strip is experiencing the most difficult humanitarian and educational conditions in decades.

Amidst the destruction and rubble, between displacement tents and the constant sounds of bombing, Gaza’s students insisted on turning darkness into opportunity and suffering into achievement, writing a new chapter in the story of their indomitable will.

Gaza education under fire

Despite the occupation’s destruction of more than 670 schools and 165 universities and educational institutions, and the killing of more than 13,500 students, 830 teachers and 193 academics since the outbreak of the war, tens of thousands of students have managed to complete their academic year in almost impossible conditions.

High school exams were conducted electronically between 6 and 15 September, despite frequent power cuts, a shortage of equipment, and the lack of a safe learning environment.

In temporary tents and crowded shelters, students sat in front of simple phone screens, surrounded by the sounds of aircraft and sirens, confirming that the pursuit of knowledge in Gaza is no longer a luxury, but an act of resistance and survival.

Joy from under the rubble

During a press conference held at the ministry’s headquarters, the names of the top students in various fields — science, literature, law, entrepreneurship and business, industry, and home economics — were announced in an atmosphere of joy mixed with tears.

Success here is not measured by numbers, but by the amount of suffering these students have endured to reach this moment.

The ministry spokesperson said that this announcement represents:

a symbolic victory of knowledge over war

He also said that the students efforts were a message to the world that:

awareness cannot be bombed, and will cannot be destroyed, no matter how severe the siege or how long the oppression.

Gaza’s message to the world

The educational experience in Gaza over the past two years is one of the rarest in the history of global education. Students and teachers have continued their journey amid destruction, without electricity, infrastructure or adequate educational materials.

But, as the ministry says, they have chosen to:

write with hope what the occupation could not erase with fire.

While reports speak of impending famine and a near-total collapse of services, Gaza’s students prove that knowledge does not die even in the darkest of circumstances.

A lesson for the whole world

The people of Gaza have done it again, triumphing over hunger with knowledge, over siege with determination, and over darkness with the light of a small candle.

They have shown the world that education in Palestine is not just an academic pursuit, but an act of dignity and existence.

From the rubble, joy was born. From the heart of hunger, the flower of knowledge blossomed.

In Gaza, dreams are not bombed, but shine brighter after every war.

Featured image supplied via the author

By Alaa Shamali

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