Despite war and devastation, hundreds of Palestinian students in Gaza are sitting for their final high school exams.
Organized by Gaza’s Ministry of Education, the exam marks a crucial opportunity for approximately 1,500 students to complete their high school education and pursue university admission.
It is the first major academic assessment held in the territory since the war erupted following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
In the face of enormous obstacles, including the destruction of 95% of educational infrastructure, the Ministry has launched a newly developed online platform for conducting the exam electronically.
Students are logging in from wherever possible, including tents, cafes, shelters, using any available device and internet access.
“We are taking exams online, but it is so difficult,” said student Doha Khatab. “The internet is weak, many of us do not have devices, and there is no safe space to take the test. We also lost our books in the bombardment.”
To help students navigate the unfamiliar system, teachers have reopened damaged classrooms and are offering step-by-step support. A mock test was conducted in advance to assess both students’ readiness and the stability of the software.
Morad al-Agha, exams director for the Central Gaza Governorate, acknowledged the technical and logistical challenges but said efforts were ongoing to resolve issues and allow all registered students to participate.
According to the United Nations, more than 660,000 children in Gaza (nearly all of the territory’s school-aged population) are currently out of school.
Many former UN-run schools are now overcrowded shelters for displaced families and are themselves targets of Israeli airstrikes.
A recent report to the UN Human Rights Council found that Israeli forces have systematically destroyed Gaza’s educational infrastructure, calling the actions potential war crimes.
The decision to hold final exams is more than an act of academic scheduling. It is an act of defiance against a backdrop of war, displacement, and digital scarcity, Palestinian students are not just logging into an exam, but are insisting on a future.
It’s easy to reduce statistics (95% of schools destroyed, 660,000 children out of class) to numbers. But behind them are young people studying by candlelight, borrowing devices, walking through debris to reach a classroom with no roof.
Their struggle is not just for a certificate, but for the right to imagine a life beyond war. The teachers returning to shattered buildings to offer guidance, reflect a quiet heroism rarely captured in war briefings.
In a world that often looks away, these students are not asking for sympathy. They are demanding space to dream, to grow, and to learn.
Image Credit: United Nations
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