Palestinian defends doctoral thesis from his destroyed home in northern Gaza

Palestinian doctoral candidate Anas Al-Qanou defended his thesis from his devastated home despite the ongoing Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip for more than nine months.

Al-Qanou defended his thesis on manufacturing silver nanowires and their application in UV sensors from his damaged home in Bir Al-Naja, near the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

His professors from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) facilitated a remote defense because of the Israeli onslaught against Gaza.

Qanou is one of many students who have defended their dissertations from Gaza during wartime.

He obtained his master's from the Islamic University in Gaza and worked as a teacher to support his family before pursuing doctoral studies in Malaysia.

Financial constraints led him back to Gaza to teach at the Islamic University to save money for his studies.

Unexpectedly, he was trapped in Gaza with the outbreak of an Israeli onslaught in October 2023. Despite enduring challenging conditions, including intermittent internet and electricity, he completed and defended his dissertation, ultimately earning his doctoral degree.

Qanou, along with many Palestinians, has experienced displacement multiple times due to the Israeli army's incursions into the Jabalia camp during the ongoing war.

As of July 3, Sigrid Kach, chief coordinator of humanitarian affairs and reconstruction for Gaza, reported that 1.9 million people have been displaced across the enclave, which has endured the devastating offensive for more than nine months.

"In 2021, I went to Malaysia and enrolled at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) to pursue a doctorate focused on manufacturing silver nanowires. My research also involved their applications in producing ultraviolet sensors and electric heaters that operate on low continuous voltage,” Qanou told Anadolu.

“I came back to Gaza before the Israeli war broke out to work and secure some funds for my family. The people here are enduring tough conditions without any breadwinners,” he said.

“During my stay in Gaza, the war erupted, and I found myself in the northern Gaza Strip, enduring the same hardships and tragedies as every Palestinian. My house was bombed and destroyed,” said Qanou. “During the war, I stopped working on my doctoral thesis for a period but eventually resumed.”

Qanou described initially encountering challenges such as internet and power outages, but he managed to overcome them and proceeded with writing his dissertation.

"In March, I successfully completed a preliminary defense that prepared me for the final defense. On July 10, my final defense was conducted online,” he said.

“During my defense, I was concerned about potential internet interruptions or my device running out of battery. I managed to charge it using solar energy, as the discussion lasted for about five consecutive hours,” said Qanou.

“The defense occurred in the morning amidst the ongoing war, the bombing of my home, and the challenging conditions I endure like every other Palestinian in Gaza facing the ravages of war,” he said.

Despite these hardships, the doctoral defense proceeded, and after significant effort, the committee at the Malaysian university decided to confer him with the degree.

Since the onset of the war on Oct. 7, Israel has demolished six universities in Gaza. Israeli military attacks have also resulted in the deaths of three university presidents and more than 95 university deans and professors.

The war has disrupted the education of 88,000 students, while 555, who had secured international scholarships, were unable to travel abroad, as reported by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack in early October by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

More than 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 88,300 injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.