CAIRO: The first group of 27 Palestinian medical students from Gaza on Sunday departed for Pakistan to continue their medical and dental studies at various institutions in the country.
According to a press release from the Pakistani embassy in Cairo, embassy officials, along with representatives of Al-Khidmat Foundation, facilitated their departure from Cairo International Airport to Lahore.
This group is part of the first batch of 192 Palestinian students from war-torn Gaza who will continue their medical and dental studies at various institutions in Pakistan.
Under the directive of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, these students will be fully supported through funded programmes in Pakistan’s medical universities.
The initiative is a collaboration between Global Relief Trust, Doctors of Rehman, and Al-Khidmat Foundation.
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The departure comes as Gaza’s medical and education infrastructure faces unprecedented devastation following Israeli bombardments.
According to reports, more than half of Gaza’s medical facilities have been rendered inoperable, with hospitals, clinics, and ambulances targeted in the airstrikes.
Critical shortages of medicines, equipment, and power have severely hampered healthcare services, with doctors forced to treat the injured in overcrowded, makeshift facilities.
Similarly, Gaza’s education sector has been crippled, as over 200 schools have been destroyed or severely damaged, according to the UN.
Many students are unable to continue their studies as educational institutions have been turned into shelters for displaced families or are too damaged to operate.
In this context, Pakistan’s offer to host Palestinian students provides a critical lifeline for those whose education has been interrupted by the ongoing conflict.
This initiative not only allows Palestinian students to continue their education but also highlights the global efforts to support Gaza’s youth in rebuilding their futures amidst immense adversity.
Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in Gaza. They have also voiced concerns over severe shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies in northern Gaza, and said there is a risk of famine there.
The Ministry of Health say Israel’s threats to evacuate three hospitals operating there by force put the safety of patients and medical staff at risk.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, aimed at eliminating Hamas, has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians since it began a year ago, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and has laid waste to the enclave.