Dalya Ibrahim Shehada Qeshta, 22, has been offered a place to study pharmacy at the University of Manchester
08:41, 02 Aug 2025Updated 08:42, 02 Aug 2025
Dalya Qeshta (left) and her sister Dalal have both been offered places to study at UK universities in September
A student unable to take up her place at the University of Manchester – because she’s trapped in Gaza – says she refuses to ‘give up’.
Dalya Ibrahim Shehada Qeshta was studying pharmacy at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, while her twin sister Dalal was specialising in engineering, when the campus was ‘completely destroyed’ in the ongoing conflict.
The 22-year-old, from Rafah city in southern Gaza – who has family in the UK – said they ‘refused to let go of [their] dreams’ and applied to study in the UK.
“Our university was completely destroyed, along with many of our personal belongings, and we lost access to education overnight,” she said. “Like thousands of others, our lives were thrown into chaos. Education is not just a dream for us, it is our hope for healing, rebuilding, and having a future beyond war.”
Dalya has been offered a place to study pharmacy at the University of Manchester. Dalal secured a place at the University of Bristol on an aerospace engineering course. But both are unable to leave Gaza due to the closure of borders and crossings, as well as a lack of financial support.
The Qeshta family home that was destroyed in Gaza(Image: Dalya Qeshta/PA Wire)
Last week, the Guardian reported that a group of 40 students in Gaza were unable to take their places at UK universities in September despite being awarded full scholarships due to a Home Office requirement for biometric data for visa applications.
The UK-authorised biometrics centre in Gaza closed in October 2023 and it has been ‘impossible’ for the students to travel to centres in neighbouring countries.
For Ms Qeshta, continuing her education is ‘key to breaking the cycle of hardship,’ she said, adding that it would ‘change [their] lives for the better’. During the early months of the war, Ms Qeshta said her family home was ‘completely destroyed’ and they have been ‘forcibly displaced’ 11 times since.
They are currently living in a tent in Al-Mawasi. Of life in Gaza, she said it was a ‘living nightmare’ and that children were searching for ‘water and bread, not toys or books’.
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“Prices are unimaginably high, and basic essentials like flour, rice, or canned goods are almost non-existent,” she added. “True hunger is not just a feeling, it’s a daily reality.
“Medicines and healthcare are either unavailable or unaffordable, and the sick often go without help. There’s no sense of routine, just survival.
“Children in Gaza no longer know what childhood means. The war has stolen their laughter, their innocence, and their dreams.
“They search for water and bread, not toys or books. They are dying not because of illness or because they are hungry, but simply because they are children of Gaza.”
One of ‘the most terrifying moments’ the family experienced was in Al-Mawasi when ‘shelling began without warning’ as they were gathering their belongings, Ms Qeshta said.
Dalya Qeshta, 22, who has a place at the University of Manchester to study pharmacy(Image: Dalya Qeshta/PA Wire)
She added: “My brother was injured, and my sister’s young children were paralysed with fear. We were caught between life and death, fleeing under fire.”
On another occasion, bullets pierced the family’s tent as they were preparing a meal in a moment of ‘terror’ she will never forget, the student said.
“But through all this darkness, we hold onto hope – hope that we can survive, rebuild, and one day live in peace,” she added. “Hope that we can still pursue our dreams like any other young people in this world.
“We refuse to give up. Even when everything is stripped away from us, we cling to our humanity, to our stories, and to the belief that our voices still matter.”
As pressure mounts on the UK government to take further action to help end the conflict, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced this week that the country could take the step of recognising a Palestinian state in September ahead of a gathering at the UN.
The UK would refrain from doing so if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire, and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months.
The tent where the Qeshta family are living(Image: Dalya Qeshta/PA Wire)
Although this is an ‘important step’, recognition ‘should not be used as a bargaining tool’ but as a ‘moral and political obligation’, Ms Qeshta said of the announcement.
“We have seen many promises before. What matters most now is action.
“I hope this move is real and followed by real change on the ground, because words alone cannot save lives. “
Campaigners are reportedly calling on the government to grant students with scholarships a biometrics deferral and assist them in finding a safe route to a third country where they can complete their visa application before travelling to the UK.
Of this group, a Government spokesperson said: “We are aware of the students and are considering the request for support.”
Labour MP Abtisam Mohamed, who is campaigning on this issue, said: “Gaza’s education system, like so much else, has been all but obliterated. Schools have become overcrowded shelters, every university has been reduced to rubble, and educators have been deliberately targeted and killed.”
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The Sheffield Central MP added: “Ireland, France and Belgium have acted to ensure their students can reach safety, the UK has not.
“This is not hypothetical, some of these students have already been killed while waiting and others remain in constant danger.
“I’m pressing ministers to address this as soon as possible, as every minute increases the likelihood that more young lives will be lost.”
The University of Bristol said they were unable to discuss individual cases and the University of Manchester has been contacted for comment.