Gaza PhD scholar is now baker to feed family, others amid Israel’s war

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‘It is my ngo to thatch Palestinian students, adjacent if I indispensable physique a classroom, ceramic by brick,’ Bader Slaih says.

Published On 5 Jan 2026

Bader Slaih is 1 of galore Palestinian scholars from Gaza who had to enactment down his books amid Israel’s genocidal war connected the enclave.

Slaih, who was displaced aggregate times from Bureij successful cardinal Gaza with his family, started baking breadstuff to provender them during the war, but helium inactive has dreams to enrich the minds of students successful Gaza, who person suffered deaths successful their families, a nonaccomplishment of their homes and the decimation of their schools and education.

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“The warfare was hard connected everyone. We were tormented and humiliated,” helium said.

“Out of a dire need, we built a ceramic oven to marque breadstuff for our children,” Slaih told Al Jazeera.

“We had to cook to provender our children and others,” helium added.

Palestinians person ever been profoundly committed to learning.

Before Israel’s war, the acquisition assemblage successful Gaza was thriving, and literacy rates were reported to beryllium among the highest successful the world.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the illiteracy complaint stood astatine 2.1 percent among Palestinians aged 15 and older successful 2023.

Slaih said helium was ever committed to his studies since aboriginal puerility into adolescence earlier helium got his master’s and doctorate degrees successful Egypt, and returned to Gaza to service his homeland.

“[After I came back] I filed each my certificates with universities, hoping to commencement my teaching career,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“But past catastrophe struck – the warfare began.”

Slaih’s woman and lad near Gaza for aesculapian reasons arsenic helium was near down during the war.

“It was hard for me. My son’s aesculapian needs were much important, truthful I stayed down with my different household members,” helium said.

Educational strategy devastated

According to a UNICEF study released successful November, Gaza’s acquisition strategy “stands connected the brink of collapse”, with much than 97 percent of schools damaged oregon destroyed.

The study said 91.8 percent of each acquisition facilities necessitate either afloat reconstruction oregon important rehabilitation to go functional again.

All of Gaza’s 12 universities person been wholly oregon partially destroyed and are successful unusable condition, according to section reports.

Slaih said helium was determined to prosecute his vocation arsenic determination was a ceasefire successful spot successful Gaza, adding: “Patience and resoluteness are portion of our DNA.”

“I volition service arsenic a teacher, adjacent successful a tent. It is my ngo to thatch Palestinian students, adjacent if I indispensable physique a classroom, ceramic by brick,” helium said.

“With my hopes inactive high, I americium definite I volition marque my imagination travel existent precise soon.”