Studying by flashlight, dreaming beyond war: A Gaza teen's exam journey

Al Jazeera tells the story of Dana Shabat, a top-performing student in Gaza whose preparations for high school exams have become a daily struggle for electricity, internet access and hope.

Before sunrise each morning, 18-year-old Dana Shabat leaves the tent she now calls home and begins a journey that could determine the course of her future. The walk takes about an hour. Along dusty roads lined with makeshift shelters, Dana heads to a small cafe in central Gaza, one of the few places where electricity and internet are reliable enough for her to sit her high school graduation exams.

For many students around the world, exam season means long nights of revision and nervous anticipation. For Dana, it means studying by flashlight in a crowded tent, worrying whether the internet will fail, and carrying the weight of a war that has transformed every aspect of her life.

"I never imagined that the most decisive stage of my life would look like this," she said.

Dana was once a top student in Beit Hanoon in northern Gaza, consistently achieving grades above 99 percent. She dreamed of university and a career that would allow her to make a difference in society. Then war arrived.

Her family home was destroyed, forcing them to flee south. In May last year, an Israeli strike killed her mother, Lina. The family now lives in a tent in Deir el-Balah, where daily life revolves around finding food, water, electricity and safety.

Yet amid the hardship, Dana's determination to continue her education has never wavered.

With many schools destroyed or converted into shelters, she spent years teaching herself. Physics lessons came from YouTube videos. Difficult subjects required private tutoring sessions that her father struggled to afford.

"I sacrificed other household needs so I could help Dana complete this crucial year," said her father, Muhanna, a former chemistry teacher. "Education is the one thing nobody can take away from her."

Inside the cafe, dozens of students sit shoulder to shoulder, waiting for online exam portals to open on their mobile phones. Every flicker of electricity and every drop in internet signal can trigger anxiety.

For Dana, the challenges do not end when an exam finishes. Returning to the tent, she must immediately think about charging devices for the next test, a task complicated by Gaza's severe electricity shortages.

Her younger sisters greet her eagerly after each exam, asking whether the questions were difficult. Neighbours stop by to offer encouragement. In a place where loss has become commonplace, Dana's academic journey has become a source of hope for those around her.

The absence of her mother remains a constant presence.

"Their mother believed deeply in education," Muhanna said, his voice breaking. "If she were here today, she would want to see her daughters continuing to learn despite everything."

Dana's future remains uncertain. Reconstruction across Gaza has barely begun, and she does not know whether she will ever return to her hometown. She dreams of earning a scholarship abroad and is still deciding whether to study medicine, finance or business administration.

But even after years of displacement, grief and disruption, she refuses to abandon those ambitions.

As she prepares for another exam by the dim light of a flashlight inside the family tent, Dana remains focused on what lies ahead rather than what has been lost.

"I hope our suffering finally comes to an end," she said. "And I hope I become the successful person my mother always wanted me to be."

For Dana, each exam is more than a test of academic knowledge. It is an act of resilience — proof that even amid war, dreams can survive.

By Aghakazim Guliyev