SHOTLIST:

GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE (JAN. 11, 2026) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF FAMILIES AND STUDENTS ATTENDING CEREMONY AT SCHOOL YARD AND LISTENING TO SPEECHES

2. VARIOUS OF HONORARY STUDENTS WALKING TO STAGE

3. VARIOUS OF STUDENTS AT EVENT

4. ORGANIZER DAVUD AL-ESTAL SPEAKING TO REPORTER (Arabic)

5. VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES LISTENING TO SPEECHES, TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS, APPLAUDING

6. GRADUATE DIMA AL-ESTAL SPEAKING TO REPORTER (Arabic)

7. VARIOUS OF AWARD CEREMONY GAZA STRIP, PALESTINE - JAN. 11: Hundreds of Palestinian students gathered in Khan Younis on Sunday, Jan. 11, for a graduation ceremony after achieving academic success, despite widespread destruction and ongoing hardship caused by the Israeli conflict.

The Al-Estal family, a prominent clan in the city, pressed ahead with their 23rd annual "Ceremony of Excellence," refusing to let the conflict break a decades-long tradition of honoring academic achievement.

Hosted at the Martyr Yasser Al-Namrouti School, the event recognized 350 students—ranging from primary school children to master’s and doctoral graduates—under the banner "Caravan of Struggle."

For many, the diplomas represented a victory over grief.

Dima al-Estal, one of the honorees, completed her studies while navigating immense personal loss.

Dima said that pursuing her education during the war had been an agonizing challenge, recalling that she studied while mourning her father, who died in Israeli custody, and her brother Ismail, who was killed in an airstrike.

She added that she learned of her father’s death around the time of her exams, but, with God’s help, managed to succeed.

The ceremony offered a brief respite for the community, with families cheering as graduates walked the stage, asserting their hope for the future despite the devastation surrounding them.

The Israeli army has killed more than 71,000 people, most of them women and children, and injured over 171,000 others in a brutal offensive since October 2023 that left the Gaza Strip in ruins.

Despite a ceasefire that began last Oct. 10, the Israeli army has continued its attacks, killing 442 Palestinians and wounding 1,236 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.