Gazan students get scholarships to start over in Australia

Hala Alsammak has been through far more than most 20-year-olds. Nine months ago, she packed up her life in Gaza and made the difficult decision to start afresh in Australia, reports Nandini Dhir for ABC News.

“Leaving everything behind and coming here wasn’t an easy decision … It’s a very difficult thing because all of us now [have to] start from the beginning,” Alsammak said.

When Hamas launched its attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, Alsammak was in the first week of a business degree. In the months following, she went on to look after young children in Gaza and Egypt who had lost their families in the war. Now in Sydney on a humanitarian visa, Alsammak is among approximately 35 Palestinian students being supported to study at Western Sydney University on a scholarship programme for students fleeing conflict.
Full report on the ABC News site