In the ashes of Gaza, where universities have turned to rubble and libraries to dust, the voice of Dr. Akram Habeeb rises steady, unbroken, and unwavering. A scholar of Shakespeare and literary criticism, Dr. Habeeb once taught thousands of eager minds in one of the most besieged yet intellectually rich corners of the world. Now, like more than 150,000 forcibly displaced Palestinians, he finds himself in exile in Egypt, carrying with him not just memories of war and destruction, but a legacy of education, resistance, and a people who never stopped learning even under bombardment. As the world watches Gaza endure an unrelenting genocide and siege, this is a story of survival through knowledge, and of a professor who remains a teacher, even when his classroom has been erased.
Palestine Telegraph (PT): Dr. Habeeb, thank you for speaking with us. Before we dive into your academic career, we’d like to begin by acknowledging the painful context in which this conversation takes place. Could you share with our readers where you are currently?
Dr. Akram Habeeb: Thank you for having me. I’m currently living in Egypt not by choice, but by necessity. Like more than 150,000 other Palestinians, I was forcibly displaced from Gaza after the genocidal war that began in October 2023. It is deeply painful to have left my homeland under such circumstances. I left behind not just my home, but a life, a career, and a community of students and scholars. The war has turned Gaza into a graveyard for dreams and a battlefield against hope.
PT: The situation in Gaza continues to horrify the world. Can you tell us more about what is happening on the ground?
Dr. Habeeb: Gaza is facing one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in modern history. The Israeli occupation has imposed a total siege, cutting off food, water, electricity, and medical supplies. More than 38,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed, and tens of thousands are wounded or missing under the rubble. Entire families have been wiped out. This is not a war; this is genocide, conducted under the watchful eyes of the international community. What’s left of Gaza is a landscape of destruction, starvation, and displacement.
PT: You’re known for your long academic career. Can you tell us about your work and your students?
Dr. Habeeb: I’ve spent decades teaching English and American literature, particularly Shakespeare and literary criticism, at the Islamic University of Gaza. Over the years, I’ve taught thousands of students, many of whom went on to earn their own PhDs and MAs. Gaza, despite the siege, has always been a place of intellectual brilliance. In fact, Gaza has one of the highest concentrations of advanced degrees in the world relative to its population. Our people valued education deeply—it was our strongest form of resistance.
PT: That’s an incredible testament to Gaza’s spirit. What do you think drove that hunger for knowledge?
Dr. Habeeb: It was our way of surviving with dignity. We knew that tanks and warplanes could destroy our buildings, but not our minds. Gaza’s youth were hungry to learn, to write, to analyze, to build a future even when the world tried to deny us one. I had students who would come to class after their homes had been bombed. Some of them wrote poetry in the shelter of candlelight, read Shakespeare amidst airstrikes, and submitted essays from refugee tents. That is Gaza’s soul.
PT: How has the war impacted the academic sector in Gaza?
Dr. Habeeb: It has been decimated. Universities were bombed deliberately. The Islamic University of Gaza, one of the leading academic institutions in the region, was reduced to rubble. Thousands of professors and students have been killed or displaced. The war didn’t just destroy buildings—it targeted the future, the potential, the intellect of an entire people. But even in exile, many of us continue to teach, to write, to remember. We are determined not to let the flame of knowledge be extinguished.
PT: Do you see hope for return and rebuilding?
Dr. Habeeb: Hope is part of our DNA. As long as there is one Palestinian heart beating, there is hope for return. But rebuilding Gaza will take more than concrete and steel it will need justice. It will need the world to recognize what was done to us, and to ensure it never happens again. For now, we do what we can from exile: we teach, we write, we testify. And we remember those who can no longer speak for themselves.
PT: Dr. Habeeb, your words are powerful, and your resilience is inspiring. Is there anything you’d like to leave our readers with?
Dr. Habeeb: Never underestimate the power of a people who refuse to be erased. Gaza is not just ruins and numbers it is poetry, literature, philosophy, ambition, and resistance. We are still here. And we will return.