In response to the devastating impact of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and across Occupied Palestine, over 1,000 Canadian academics have united to demand immediate action from both the Canadian government and educational institutions. The following joint letter, signed by professors, students, and scholars across the country, calls for implementing an urgent ceasefire. This effort was achieved in close collaboration with Canadian Palestinian academics, leaders, and human rights advocates.
On the One-Year Anniversary of October 7th: 1,000 Canadian Professors and Students Call for Ceasefire Amid Devastating Attacks on Gaza’s Academic Institutions and Civil Society Communities
October 7th, 2024
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of Israel’s large-scale military operation in Gaza, over 1,000 Canadian professors, students, and academics have come together to issue a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian universities and colleges. The letter calls for an immediate ceasefire in response to the devastating attacks on Gaza’s academic institutions and the broader Palestinian population. It urges Canadian educational institutions to join in advocating for these demands and stand in solidarity with Palestinian scholars, calling on the Prime Minister to take decisive action.
We, the undersigned Canadian academics and students, find deeply alarming the scale of Israeli attacks on academic institutions in Gaza. These attacks have led to numerous killings of Palestinian students and scholars. Among the victims was Professor Sofyan Taya, a widely renowned scholar, Professor of Physics, and President of the Islamic University of Gaza. Professor Taya, a widely-respected researcher who spent last year as a visiting guest scholar at the University of Waterloo in Canada, was killed with his daughter, sons, and grandchildren while they were in their home located in the Jabalia Refugee Camp.
Professor Taya was among the top 2 percent of global science researchers and was appointed the UNESCO Chair for Physics and Space Sciences in Palestine. During his time at the University of Waterloo, his research, which was highly impactful, focused on the detection of cancer cells and pathogens using photonic crystals and biosensors. His loss, along with that of his family, is a devastating blow to the academic community and a tragic reminder of the human toll of this crisis.
Israel’s destruction extends far beyond the academic sphere, decimating entire Palestinian communities. In addition to the targeting of scholars and students, entire communities, including healthcare workers, religious leaders, and ordinary civilians, have been subjected to deadly ongoing airstrikes and bombings. We also mourn the deaths of countless civilians across Gaza and the West Bank, including children, women, and elderly persons, who have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and other forms of violence.
International law firmly establishes the right to life and education. Numerous provisions of international law also protect universities from wanton attacks during wartime. Israel’s continuous targeting and bombardment of academic institutions in Palestine violates Palestinians’ fundamental rights to education. The persistent killing of children, youth, and the destruction of educational institutions, is a deliberate effort to undermine historical and present generations, including the future of the Palestinian people, constituting evidence of an intent to commit genocide. These actions destroy the potential for educational and societal development, systematically weakening the foundation upon which a thriving and forward-looking society can be built.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR), since the commencement of hostilities on October 7, 2023, Israel has targeted vital education infrastructure, Palestinian academics, and students across all of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (including Gaza as well as the West Bank).
These deaths are part of a larger military campaign that has claimed the lives of more than 42,612 Palestinians, including 16,765 children and 25,000 women. At least 97,166 Palestinians have been injured, with more than 75% being children and women. Approximately 900,000 buildings across Gaza have suffered severe destruction and damage as a result of the Israeli bombardment, including places of worship, hospitals, schools, and residential buildings. To date, Israel has dropped at least 70,000 tons of bombs across Gaza, leaving millions of Palestinian families displaced.
These crimes are in direct contravention of international law, which unequivocally protects civilian infrastructure, including physical facilities such as universities and schools that are directly connected to the right to education. International law also prohibits the deliberate targeting of the personnel of educational institutions during armed conflicts. We call on Canadian universities, colleges, and educational institutions to take the following immediate and decisive actions to condemn these heinous acts.
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the commencement of the hostilities on October 7th, 2023, we stand in solidarity with all segments of the Palestinian population who continue to suffer from these ongoing violations, as recognized by leading human rights organizations around the world.
Canadian universities and colleges have pioneered in their dedication to pursuing knowledge and protecting human rights. Their collective leadership, alongside decisive policy measures from the Prime Minister’s Office, is essential in combatting these atrocities and fostering a global environment that upholds the principles of international law and respect for the human dignity and humanity of Palestinian academics, students, and remaining civil society.
The following undersigned professors, scholars, educators, scientists, postdoctorates, researchers, instructors, staff and academic groups are compelled to renew our call for immediate action to protect the civil and human rights of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, in the face of escalating violence;
Full signatories available on official joint letter and press release copies. For more information, please contact [email protected].
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the beginning of Israel’s large-scale military operation in Gaza, over 1,000 Canadian professors, students, and academics have come together to issue a joint letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadian universities and colleges. The letter calls for an immediate ceasefire in response to the devastating attacks on Gaza’s academic institutions and the broader Palestinian population. It urges Canadian educational institutions to join in advocating for these demands and stand in solidarity with Palestinian scholars, calling on the Prime Minister to take decisive action.
We, the undersigned Canadian academics and students, find deeply alarming the scale of Israeli attacks on academic institutions in Gaza. These attacks have led to numerous killings of Palestinian students and scholars. Among the victims was Professor Sofyan Taya, a widely renowned scholar, Professor of Physics, and President of the Islamic University of Gaza. Professor Taya, a widely-respected researcher who spent last year as a visiting guest scholar at the University of Waterloo in Canada, was killed with his daughter, sons, and grandchildren while they were in their home located in the Jabalia Refugee Camp.
Professor Taya was among the top 2 percent of global science researchers and was appointed the UNESCO Chair for Physics and Space Sciences in Palestine. During his time at the University of Waterloo, his research, which was highly impactful, focused on the detection of cancer cells and pathogens using photonic crystals and biosensors. His loss, along with that of his family, is a devastating blow to the academic community and a tragic reminder of the human toll of this crisis.
Israel’s destruction extends far beyond the academic sphere, decimating entire Palestinian communities. In addition to the targeting of scholars and students, entire communities, including healthcare workers, religious leaders, and ordinary civilians, have been subjected to deadly ongoing airstrikes and bombings. We also mourn the deaths of countless civilians across Gaza and the West Bank, including children, women, and elderly persons, who have been killed in Israeli airstrikes and other forms of violence.
International law firmly establishes the right to life and education. Numerous provisions of international law also protect universities from wanton attacks during wartime. Israel’s continuous targeting and bombardment of academic institutions in Palestine violates Palestinians’ fundamental rights to education. The persistent killing of children, youth, and the destruction of educational institutions, is a deliberate effort to undermine historical and present generations, including the future of the Palestinian people, constituting evidence of an intent to commit genocide. These actions destroy the potential for educational and societal development, systematically weakening the foundation upon which a thriving and forward-looking society can be built.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR), since the commencement of hostilities on October 7, 2023, Israel has targeted vital education infrastructure, Palestinian academics, and students across all of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (including Gaza as well as the West Bank).
- Israel has killed 439 individuals from university communities thus far, including 427 students and 12 academics or university employees.
- Air raids and bombardment have destroyed 11 higher education buildings, in whole or in part, severely disrupting access to education for thousands of students.
- Israeli policies have disrupted access to in-person instruction for 138,000 students in 34 West Bank institutions. Its actions have deprived over 88,000 students in the Gaza Strip of receiving an education.
- Israel’s actions have prevented 555 students in the Gaza Strip from enrolling in scholarships abroad. As many as 5,000 Palestinian students studying abroad are now without financial support due to the loss of contact with families inside Gaza.
- There were 80 documented cases of arbitrary measures taken against students at universities and colleges.
These deaths are part of a larger military campaign that has claimed the lives of more than 42,612 Palestinians, including 16,765 children and 25,000 women. At least 97,166 Palestinians have been injured, with more than 75% being children and women. Approximately 900,000 buildings across Gaza have suffered severe destruction and damage as a result of the Israeli bombardment, including places of worship, hospitals, schools, and residential buildings. To date, Israel has dropped at least 70,000 tons of bombs across Gaza, leaving millions of Palestinian families displaced.
These crimes are in direct contravention of international law, which unequivocally protects civilian infrastructure, including physical facilities such as universities and schools that are directly connected to the right to education. International law also prohibits the deliberate targeting of the personnel of educational institutions during armed conflicts. We call on Canadian universities, colleges, and educational institutions to take the following immediate and decisive actions to condemn these heinous acts.
- Advocate that the Canadian government applies serious diplomatic pressure to secure an immediate and permanent ceasefire, not only to protect academic institutions but to safeguard all civilian life in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
- Issue an official statement condemning the intentional attacks on academic institutions, including the airstrike on the universities of Gaza and the tragic killing of Professor Sofyan Taya.
- Establish a scholarship fund in the memory of Professor Sofyan Taya at Canadian universities and colleges.
- Engage with international bodies, including UNESCO and the United Nations, to coordinate efforts to protect Palestinian civilians and academic institutions from these unlawful attacks.
- Establish institutional relationships with Palestinian universities in Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to assist the Palestinians fulfill their right under international law to education.
As we mark the one-year anniversary of the commencement of the hostilities on October 7th, 2023, we stand in solidarity with all segments of the Palestinian population who continue to suffer from these ongoing violations, as recognized by leading human rights organizations around the world.
Canadian universities and colleges have pioneered in their dedication to pursuing knowledge and protecting human rights. Their collective leadership, alongside decisive policy measures from the Prime Minister’s Office, is essential in combatting these atrocities and fostering a global environment that upholds the principles of international law and respect for the human dignity and humanity of Palestinian academics, students, and remaining civil society.
The following undersigned professors, scholars, educators, scientists, postdoctorates, researchers, instructors, staff and academic groups are compelled to renew our call for immediate action to protect the civil and human rights of Palestinians, especially in Gaza, in the face of escalating violence;
Full signatories available on official joint letter and press release copies. For more information, please contact [email protected].