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When the conflict in Gaza began in October last year, Amani Ahmed had just left her family to study in the UK and expected it to be over in a matter of months.
The lecturer believed when she left the Palestinian enclave that she would return to her young family shortly. But as the war escalated and their home was bombed, it was thanks to the work of a non-profit, the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara), that the family were rescued and reunited with her in the UK.
Ms Ahmed is one of 15 Palestinian academics being supported since October 2023 by Cara, which rescues academics at risk from persecution, violence and conflict and finds them placements at UK universities. Since the outbreak of war, Cara has received more than 120 applications for help from Palestinians.
Mother-of-four Ms Ahmed, who was head of the international relations department at the Islamic University of Gaza, is studying for a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Because phone connections to the enclave often went down, she had to wait anxiously for news of her children, hoping for their safety as air strikes damaged the family’s home in central Gaza.
“When I left on October 2, 2023, to continue my studies after spending summer and annual leave in Gaza with the family and my children, I thought I would be back in one month, and I left most of my belongings at home,” she told The National.
“I did not expect a war or any escalation to happen. The context seemed to me to be stable, otherwise I would not have left my family. Previously, I had experienced wars, which were terrifying, but it was not at the same level of destruction and killing as it is in the current war.
“The bombings were very heavy near my home. It caused destruction of the windows and the glass was [scattered] everywhere while my family was inside. My husband had to take my children in the middle of the night, and under the heavy bombing and air strikes, to a friend’s house nearby as they were panicking.
“Everyone sees on social media what's happening in Gaza, with people losing limbs and out on the streets after their homes have been destroyed. Every time we go online, we worry that this might be a relative or a friend.”
The charity helped support the rescue of her four children, one of whom was a young baby, and her partner as her scholarship did not cover the visa costs of family members, leaving them trapped in Gaza. They have now joined her in Scotland.
She is one of two Palestinian academics who have been helped and placed at leading universities by Cara, and 13 more Gaza academics are on their way to safety in the UK. The second academic, who has not been identified, had been working as a faculty dean at Gaza University and was evacuated with his family in November 2023.
He was placed at Cambridge University, where he is completing a visiting fellowship. “The devastation wasn’t something I watched from afar – it was something I lived through every single day until my escape. It hit me really hard,” he said.
Palestinians represent the highest number of academics needing urgent assistance in 2024, according to the charity. Since the war began, the UN has estimated that 80 per cent of schools and universities in Gaza have been destroyed. The Education Ministry in Gaza says at least 105 Palestinian academics have been killed.
The 13 more Palestinian academics Cara is also supporting will soon arrive in the UK and start placements at York, Glasgow, Newcastle, Durham and Leeds universities.
One academic, who is due to start at the University of York, had been working at the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza when the conflict began and was forced to relocate several times with his family. He escaped via the Rafah border crossing between Palestine and Egypt. From there Cara helped him obtain a working visa, the placement and helped to fund and relocate his family of six.
Cara said frequent communication blackouts and closed border crossings are creating exceptionally challenging conditions for the charity to operate in, meaning requests for help far outweigh those people who can be safely rescued.
Two returned to Gaza shortly before the outbreak of the war, one of whom has since been killed and the other describes life as a struggle.
“We are still alive in a horrible situation, moving from place to place,” the survivor said, speaking anonymously. “We are sleeping on the sand near the sea with little food, water and power, under continuous fire attacks. We still do hope for peace.”
Founded in the 1930s, Cara supports scholars fleeing violence, repression and threats to intellectual and individual freedom. It facilitates their escape, often with their families, using an extensive network of contacts to navigate security, logistical, geographical, travel and visa challenges.
The charity puts together a package of funding support and practical arrangements, including visas sponsored by the host universities, to enable academics to continue their work in the UK safely.
In the past three academic years, Cara has reported a 400 per cent increase in demand, compared to the previous three-year period. It is the highest level the charity has recorded. Stephen Wordsworth, the charity's executive director, said it urgently needs funding to continue its work.
“We are at a pivotal moment in our charity’s history,” he said. “The desperate pleas for help from scholars facing persecution and danger – in Gaza and around the world – have surged to levels not seen since our foundation nearly a century ago.”
“Despite relocating more threatened academics than at any time in our history – thanks to the generous support of our university partners – the sheer number of academics now at risk poses a major challenge.
“To meet this challenge and continue this vital work, we must secure additional funding. With greater support, we would be able to give even more scholars the chance to rebuild their lives and importantly, their shattered societies, when it is safe for them to return.”
