by Sandy Nofyanza, PhD student in GDI
It was the final session on the last day of the 2025 Development Studies Association (DSA) Conference in Bath. Yet, it stood apart from any other session I’ve experienced in my entire career.
Titled “Gaza Action Planning Workshop,” the session was organized by Susannah Pickering-Saqqa (University of East London), Ibrahim Natil (DCU Conflict Institute), and Bassem Abudagga (York St John University and Al-Azhar University in Gaza). Around 30 people were in the room, with a few joining online directly from Gaza or the surrounding area.
We heard from three speakers: Ahmed Junina (Al Aqsa University); Ahmed Abudhaban (Al-Azhar University); and Abdelrahman Alfar (University of Salford). All of them are from Gaza.
The session went well, filled with insightful, emotional, and urgent discussions about the future of higher education under conditions of war and occupation. Part of me wished this session didn’t have to happen — that such suffering didn’t need to be the reason we gathered in the first place.
I was not on the panel. I was there to see the session and had simply raised my hand to contribute — to express my solidarity, to speak briefly about a student-led initiative from GDI in support of Palestine, and to mention our upcoming conference on the topic. And yet, my voice shook.
So far, I have navigated two PhD annual reviews; I have presented in front of dozens of Indonesian governmental agency heads as an undergraduate while being introduced as a “very early career researcher”; I have also spoken at numerous academic conferences. But never had I trembled so much when speaking in a group setting.
Why the trembling voice? Just imagine what they are enduring to this day – the devastating situation in Gaza and the wider Palestinian territory is extensively documented. I feared I might misspeak, humbled by the thought of addressing individuals who have endured such unimaginable lived experiences.
Now, I am writing this blog with a surging amount of hope, aiming to share some key points from the workshop. This ‘hope’ is inspired by an interdisciplinary concept, drawing on research from fields including anthropology, philosophy, and psychology. This understanding was introduced to me by my dear friend Bhokraj Gurung, a social anthropologist.*
Collaboration to keep the scholarly tradition alive
Education, including higher education, is a fundamental human right. It is integral to the Palestinian identity, agency, cultural heritage, self-determination, visibility, and sovereignty.
Right now, Gazan scholars and students face unprecedented difficulties in sustaining their academic traditions. Schools and universities were levelled. Countless lives have been lost.
Yet, in that workshop, I learned about the sheer resilience of students determined to keep studying and accessing academic materials. How? One example is by tying their phones to a stick, putting it high enough in the hope of getting an internet signal.
As fellow scholars, we have a responsibility and moral imperative to institutionalise academic support between our institution and academics in Gaza and West Bank.
And let’s be clear: this is not charity. It is our collective, ethical duty, one that upholds universal values and justice.
Given the silence of most universities in the UK (or in the whole western world, really) in the immense destruction of Gaza, it is also a way for us to rebuild mutual trust.
This type of collaboration is also not a new thing. For example, the University of Glasgow has an international English Language Teaching collaboration with Gazan scholars through LINEs4Palestine program. Through this initiative, they have supported the capacity development of MA students in the English Language Department through remote supervision and access to e-library, among other things.
Also, earlier last month, the School of Education at the University of Bristol announced a collaborative research initiative with two universities in Gaza in the form of virtual fellowship. This is certainly a model that we in Manchester can – and should – replicate and scale up.
With the video-call technology we have today, there is no reason to limit the types of scholarly support we can offer. As we have seen, research collaboration and/or fellowships can be done virtually. Remote access to our libraries and other digital resources can be granted. The infrastructure exists, what’s needed now is the will.
I earnestly hope our senior academics at the Global Development Institute (GDI), the School of Education, Environment, and Development (SEED), and the wider University of Manchester will seize this opportunity. My colleagues and I at DSA are ready to help connect you with scholars in Gaza.
A call for continuity
Lastly, a personal note. I want to extend my admiration and heartfelt thanks to our master’s students at GDI. Without them, the GDI Students for Palestine would simply not exist. I know your time at university is drawing to a close, and I wish you all the very best.
To my fellow PhD students and undergraduates: our master’s students have done a truly exceptional job in initiating this movement. However, as their time at university is short, the continuity of this vital movement is at risk. I hope you will find a bit of your time to join and help carry the movement forward.
My hope is that together, we can help rebuild Gaza by ensuring its academic institutions and scholarly traditions remain alive, now and for generations to come.
* Who (admittedly) felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of statistics at various presentations at DSA!
Top image Ahmed Abu Hameeda on Unsplash.
Note: This article gives the views of the author/academics featured and does not necessarily represent the views of the Global Development Institute as a whole.
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