Gaza students risk losing European scholarships amid travel restrictions

For 24-year-old Mariam al-Najar, the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in Italy was meant to be a gateway to a brighter future — a chance to turn dreams into reality beyond the confines of Gaza. Instead, that promise now hangs in uncertainty, as she waits anxiously to know whether she can leave in time to claim the place that could reshape her life.

The student from Khan Younis received an offer from the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio to study economics and management, two weeks after submitting her scholarship application.

After years of studying amid war and disruption, the acceptance briefly restored a sense of optimism about her future.

“Being accepted was like a ray of light that suddenly appeared and gave me a sense of life and hope again,” al-Najar told Al Jazeera, adding that she had applied for scholarships with little expectation that she would succeed.

But securing admission has proved to be only the first stage of an increasingly complicated journey for Palestinian students seeking to continue their education outside Gaza.

Al-Najar secured approval for an Italian visa and approached organisations that could potentially assist with her departure. She has, however, yet to receive permission to leave Gaza amid Israeli restrictions on movement, which have been further complicated by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

The delay has raised fears that she may not reach Italy before the beginning of the autumn academic term.

“I did not believe that travel had become guaranteed, because the acceptance was only the beginning of the journey,” she said. “There are still many steps and challenges that need to be overcome.”

Her experience reflects a wider problem confronting students in Gaza who have secured scholarships or admissions overseas but remain unable to reach their universities.

Italy emerged as a major destination for Palestinian students evacuated from Gaza during 2025 and 2026. Around 229 students had reportedly been evacuated to the country before May 2026, followed by another group of approximately 40 in June.

Its universities have attracted considerable interest partly because studying and living in Italy can be less expensive than in several other European destinations. Annual costs for students have been estimated at around €10,200 ($11,773), considerably below the £30,000 ($40,408) to £60,000 ($80,820) that international students may spend annually studying and living in the United Kingdom.

For students such as al-Najar, however, affordability is secondary to the immediate challenge of getting out of Gaza.

The war has severely disrupted education across the territory, damaging or destroying educational infrastructure and leaving students struggling to continue their studies amid displacement, insecurity and shortages of basic services.

Al-Najar said the prospect of losing her scholarship after years of working towards an opportunity to study overseas had become a source of constant anxiety.

“It feels as though this is not just a journey for education; it has become a major challenge,” she said, pointing to visa refusals and travel barriers faced by other students.

She described the scholarship as more than an academic opportunity, saying it represented a possible route towards rebuilding a future after years of upheaval.

“Behind every application and every scholarship, there is a student with a dream who is simply trying not to lose their future,” she said.

Leaving Gaza remains the biggest hurdle

Al Jazeera reported that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said it works alongside universities to facilitate the movement of students from Gaza to Italy.

Yet academics involved in assisting Palestinian students say obtaining admission is often the least complicated part of the process.

Professor Giovanna Citti of the University of Bologna said students must navigate several administrative and logistical hurdles after being accepted, particularly in securing permission to leave Gaza and arranging onward transit.

“The main obstacle facing Palestinian students from Gaza is not obtaining university admission itself, but their ability to leave Gaza and complete the procedures required to reach Italy,” Citti said.

Students may have to travel through Israel and Jordan before reaching Europe, she said, requiring multiple approvals and extensive diplomatic coordination.

Citti said establishing humanitarian corridors had required intensive negotiations because exit authorisation was extremely difficult to obtain.

“The students are academically qualified and highly motivated,” she said. “The problem is not their ability to study; the problem is creating a clear and reliable pathway for them to reach their universities.”

With academic deadlines approaching, delays in completing travel procedures have become particularly concerning for students who already hold scholarships and confirmed university places.

More than 1,200 students seek assistance

The growing difficulties have prompted the emergence of initiatives aimed at helping Palestinian students secure scholarships and navigate the process of leaving Gaza.

Among them is Gaza40+, which says more than 1,200 Palestinian students have registered for assistance in pursuing education outside the territory.

More than 500 registered students have already secured offers from European universities, according to the initiative, while others are receiving assistance with university and scholarship applications.

Registrations are continuing at a rate of roughly five to 10 students and volunteers each day, an Al Jazeera report said.

Since its establishment, Gaza40+ says it has helped 120 students leave Gaza to continue their education abroad, alongside 20 accompanying family members.

But the organisation says the absence of a predictable humanitarian mechanism through which students can leave Gaza remains one of the greatest obstacles.

The uncertainty carries significant consequences. University admissions and scholarships often come with fixed deadlines, meaning students who cannot reach campuses in time risk having their enrolment postponed or losing their places altogether.

The organisation says routes that were previously relatively accessible have also become more difficult.

In Italy, Palestinian students have recently been told that they must demonstrate proficiency in Italian before being considered for evacuation from Gaza. While Italian authorities consider the requirement necessary, campaigners say it places an additional hurdle before students already navigating extremely difficult conditions.

“Students are not losing opportunities because of their academic qualifications or their commitment. They are losing them because of circumstances beyond their control,” Gaza40+ representative Nasser Taha was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying.

Taha called for closer coordination among governments, universities and international organisations to ensure that students who have secured places are able to reach their campuses.

‘We only want the opportunity to reach our universities’

For Doaa Fawzi Hamdan, who has secured a place at the University of Bologna, the uncertainty has continued despite completing the required paperwork.

Hamdan had hoped the scholarship would allow her to resume an academic journey repeatedly interrupted during three years of conflict.

Completing the application process itself required overcoming electricity shortages, unreliable internet access and displacement. Despite those difficulties and having submitted the necessary documentation, she is still waiting for an Italian visa.

“The most difficult part is receiving acceptance from a university but not knowing whether you will be able to reach it on time,” Hamdan told Al Jazeera.

“We are not asking for special treatment. We only want the opportunity to reach our universities and begin our studies like students everywhere in the world.”

For hundreds of students awaiting visas, exit approvals or evacuation arrangements, the coming weeks could determine whether university offers painstakingly secured amid war translate into an opportunity to resume their education — or become another casualty of Gaza's prolonged restrictions on movement.