Palestinians students in Gaza demonstrated on Oct. 9 against the Israeli blockade, which is now preventing them from returning to their schools abroad. Palestinians are also being barred from attending Israeli universities, whose school term started on Oct. 15.
Khaled Mudallal, a British-educated business student, was the first to legally challenge the lockdown, but the Israeli Supreme Court turned him down. Mudallal traveled to Gaza to marry his fiancée and has been unable to return to Bradford University to complete his third year.
The lockdown was put in place as part of Israel’s efforts to crush the influence of Hamas in Gaza and destroy the larger Palestinian liberation movement. The plight of the students exemplifies the hardships imposed by the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has further cemented the status of the Palestinians as prisoners in their own land.
