Gaza Top Student Achieves Perfect Score Amid War Hardships

Midway through her final secondary school examinations, the home of 18-year-old Saba Rabah in central Gaza was bombed, obliterating her temporary shelter. She and her family escaped, clinging to their lives amid the chaos.

The attack marked yet another tragedy in a conflict that had already taken her father’s life, reduced their home to rubble, and forced them into relentless displacement.

Yet, defying insurmountable odds, Rabah emerged as the top-ranked student in Palestine’s national high school exams, the Tawjihi, the first edition held in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.

Dressed in her graduation gown, Rabah announced her achievement to AFP, revealing she secured a national record 99.9% score in the science stream, placing her first in the country. The celebration unfolded in Al-Maghazi refugee camp, where relatives and neighbors gathered in emotional solidarity.

This year’s Tawjihi exams were held simultaneously across Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Egypt, and other nations with Palestinian communities—the first such widespread administration in three years.

Since the October 2023 war began, airstrikes and shelling have devastated Gaza’s educational infrastructure, leaving tens of thousands of students without schools. Bombed-out classrooms now shelter displaced families, with over 89,000 students sitting exams this year, including 25,000 in the science stream.

Rabah’s triumph stands as a beacon of resilience. She dedicated her success to her late father, Fayed Rabah, a UNRWA teacher killed in an Israeli airstrike in June 2024, alongside her mother, siblings, and educators.

Upon results’ release, her family erupted into jubilation. Neighbors drummed rhythms of hope while onlookers cheered. Rabah embraced relatives, captured in photos, and received flower bouquets beneath a haunting portrait of her father—a stark tribute to the sacrifice underpinning her victory.

Her journey unfolded through two years of war. “We were displaced so often I can’t count them all,” Rabah said, reflecting on her family’s staggering losses. “Our house crumbled, and half my books vanished—but I pursued my goals relentlessly.”

Even during exams, danger lingered. Just days before, a neighboring home’s bombing left Rabah homeless again. Power outages and internet blackouts further hindered her preparation, forcing her to commute perilously for private lessons.

“My father always dreamed of me studying medicine,” Rabah shared. “That vision remains my driving force.” She aspires to secure a scholarship to pursue her medical ambitions.

Her mother, Feryal Ahmed Rabah, 52, described their collective joy as historical. “I always believed she’d excel, but topping all of Palestine? Words cannot capture this,” she told AFP. “God gifted us hope after months of darkness—her brilliance, our late husband’s legacy, and resilience through displacement.”

Rabah’s story encapsulates both loss and defiance—a testament to perseverance amid Gaza’s devastation, where education and dreams persist unbroken.

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