Two Young Students from Gaza at the University of Padua
27.10.2025
Two young scholarship students from Gaza have recently arrived in Padua through the Italian Universities for Palestinian Students (IUPALS) initiative. They were welcomed today at Palazzo del Bo by Rector Daniela Mapelli.
The students, Albhaisi Nour and Aseel F. J. Elmuqayad, are enrolled at the University of Padua in the Master’s Degree Programme in Food and Health and the Master’s Degree Programme in Astrophysics and Cosmology, respectively.
The IUPALS project, coordinated by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Universities and Research, and the Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem, offers Palestinian students scholarships to complete a full academic programme in Italy, thereby strengthening academic cooperation between Italy and Palestine. “The University of Padua has a long tradition of hospitality and international cooperation. In recent months, we have intensified our commitment to supporting students affected by the crisis in the Middle East. After welcoming a student and a researcher from Gaza, today we are pleased to welcome two young women from the West Bank, who will be able to safely resume their studies and build a future of knowledge and hope,” the Rector commented in recent weeks when greeting two other students from the West Bank. “In a complex historical moment marked by suffering and uncertainty, culture and knowledge remain fundamental tools for building bridges, fostering dialogue, and creating the future. The University of Padua will continue to be an open and welcoming place, where the right to study and freedom of thought know no borders.”
To date, six students and researchers have been welcomed to the University of Padua thanks to the IUPALS project.
In addition to the two students who arrived today at Palazzo del Bo, Shaer Salma and Swindan Maid Rami Hussein—enrolled respectively in the Master’s Degree Programme in Communication Strategies and the Master’s Degree Programme in Molecular Biology—recently began their studies in Padua. Ayah Altarhawi, enrolled in the Bachelor’s Degree Programme in Italian Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and Sabra Mahmoud, Associate Professor of Economics at Al-Azhar University of Gaza, currently in Padua for a research project at the Department of Economics, have also joined the university community.
