The Islamic University of Gaza has taken an important step towards reopening amid the ceasefire that has paused Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.

The university resumed in-person classes on Saturday for the first time in two years, during which displacement, power cuts, and the destruction of university facilities made only limited attempts at online learning possible.

The gradual return to in-person learning takes place inside buildings damaged by air strikes and partly reduced to rubble, after two years of forced interruption to studies by a conflict that has destroyed the enclave’s educational infrastructure.

“Today is a historic day. We are returning to education despite the tragedy and cruelty left behind by the genocide,” said Islamic University President Asaad Yousef Asaad.

“Palestinians, as everyone knows, love life and education,” he added.

Large numbers of students from the faculties of medicine and health sciences returned to their classrooms on Saturday, the president said.

A phased plan for a full return of the university’s functions is under way in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, he continued.

Overall, 4,000 students graduated during the war through remote learning, and the university is now receiving new students in person for the first time since October 2023.

According to the Gaza Government Media Office, some 165 educational institutions were destroyed by Israeli strikes over the past two years or so, while another 392 sustained partial damage.

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Parts of the Islamic University of Gaza’s buildings continue to shelter hundreds of displaced families. The institution’s administration has appealed to authorities to find urgent solutions and provide alternative housing.