Efforts to support Palestinian scientists struggle with the realities of war

Mou’yed Issa Talab Ismail was thrilled when, last month, he received an offer to begin a doctoral program in medical physics at the University of Sherbrooke. “Canada is considered one of the best countries in the world in my field of scientific research,” he says. “This will open the way for me to complete my studies.” One of several recently launched efforts to support scientists and technical students in war-torn Gaza helped match Ismail with the Canadian program. But throwing a lifeline to Palestinian scholars is proving difficult, and it’s unclear when Ismail will make it to Canada. He is currently sheltering with his family in central Gaza, which has been a frequent target of shelling and airstrikes by the Israeli military since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly 6 months ago. There are no airports in Gaza, only a handful of places where people can go to process visa paperwork, and getting permission to leave Gaza from Israeli authorities can be difficult. Travel is dangerous, communication networks spotty, and survival has become a daily struggle. Overall, at least 1200 residents of Israel and more than 31,000 residents of Gaza have died in the war, with many more injured. In Gaza, Israeli attacks have likely damaged or destroyed more than half of the region’s buildings, according to the Decentralized Damage Mapping Group, an ad hoc association of academic researchers that uses remote sensing data to analyze the war’s impact. ...
Source: ScienceNOW - Category: Science Source Type: news