A temporary academic initiative in the southern Gaza Strip is enabling students to resume in-person education after much of the enclave’s university system was devastated by ongoing conflict.

Established by Scholars Without Borders in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis, the site—known as “University City”—features modest, locally constructed facilities powered by solar energy. It includes six lecture halls that can accommodate up to 600 students per day, operating on a rotating schedule shared among multiple institutions.

Major universities, including the Islamic University of Gaza and Al-Azhar University, have begun utilizing the space, prioritizing courses that require face-to-face instruction, such as medical training and other hands-on disciplines.

The initiative comes as Gaza’s higher education sector has been largely dismantled, with campuses destroyed, repurposed as shelters, or rendered unusable. Thousands of students have been pushed into inconsistent online learning due to displacement, electricity shortages, and limited internet access.

Despite ongoing challenges—such as long travel distances and scarce transportation—students say the facility helps restore a sense of normalcy and academic continuity.

Aid organizations note that the project underscores both the resilience of Gaza’s students and the urgent need for large-scale reconstruction, as hundreds of thousands remain without reliable access to formal education.