{"id":7562,"date":"2026-01-05T14:20:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:20:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=7562"},"modified":"2026-01-05T14:20:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:20:47","slug":"gaza-phd-scholar-is-now-baker-to-feed-family-others-amid-israels-war-israel-palestine-conflict-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=7562","title":{"rendered":"Gaza PhD scholar is now baker to feed family, others amid Israel\u2019s war | Israel-Palestine conflict News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>\u2018It is my mission to teach Palestinian students, even if I must build a classroom, brick by brick,\u2019 Bader Slaih says.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 5 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">5 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Bader Slaih is one of many Palestinian scholars from Gaza who had to put down his books amid Israel\u2019s genocidal war on the enclave.<\/p>\n<p>Slaih, who was displaced multiple times from Bureij in central Gaza with his family, started baking bread to feed them during the war, but he still has dreams to enrich the minds of students in Gaza, who have suffered deaths in their families, a loss of their homes and the decimation of their schools and education.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>\u201cThe war was hard on everyone. We were tormented and humiliated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOut of a dire need, we built a brick oven to make bread for our children,\u201d Slaih told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had to bake to feed our children and others,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216242\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4216242\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4216242\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/s3-1767612794.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C514&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Palestinian academic turns baker\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4216242\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bader Slaih is pictured baking bread [Screengrab\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Palestinians have always been deeply committed to learning.<\/p>\n<p>Before Israel\u2019s war, the education sector in Gaza was thriving, and literacy rates were reported to be among the highest in the world.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the illiteracy rate stood at 2.1 percent among Palestinians aged 15 and older in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Slaih said he was always committed to his studies since early childhood into adolescence before he got his master\u2019s and doctorate degrees in Egypt, and returned to Gaza to serve his homeland.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[After I came back] I filed all my certificates with universities, hoping to start my teaching career,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut then disaster struck \u2013 the war began.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Slaih\u2019s wife and son left Gaza for medical reasons as he was left behind during the war.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was difficult for me. My son\u2019s medical needs were more important, so I stayed behind with my other family members,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"educational-system-devastated\">Educational system devastated<\/h2>\n<p>According to a UNICEF report released in November, Gaza\u2019s education system \u201cstands on the brink of collapse\u201d, with more than 97 percent of schools damaged or destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>The report said 91.8 percent of all education facilities require either full reconstruction or significant rehabilitation to become functional again.<\/p>\n<p>All of Gaza\u2019s 12 universities have been totally or partly destroyed and are in unusable condition, according to local reports.<\/p>\n<p>Slaih said he was determined to pursue his career as there was a ceasefire in place in Gaza, adding: \u201cPatience and resolve are part of our DNA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI will serve as a teacher, even in a tent. It is my mission to teach Palestinian students, even if I must build a classroom, brick by brick,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith my hopes still high, I am certain I will make my dream come true very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4216238\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4216238\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4216238\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/s1-1767612788.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Palestinian academic turns baker\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4216238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Slaih says he is determined to pursue his career [Screengrab\/Al Jazeera]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018It is my mission to teach Palestinian students, even if I must build a classroom, brick by brick,\u2019 Bader Slaih says. Published On 5 Jan 20265 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Bader Slaih is one of many Palestinian scholars from Gaza who had to put down his books amid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}