Overview
- The charity Phoenix Space launched the online Scholarships for Gaza auction, which opened Monday, July 27, and will run for ten days to raise money for scholarship packages.
- More than 20 UK and international figures including Nicola Coughlan, Paapa Essiedu and Gary Lineker have donated memorabilia and experiences to be sold to fund student fees and living costs.
- The UK Foreign Office has said it will help students leave Gaza only if they hold fully funded scholarships, making the auction a direct response to that travel condition.
- Phoenix Space says hundreds of students already hold offers from universities such as UCL, Imperial, Edinburgh and Glasgow but lack funding and face extra obstacles like costly evacuation permits and damaged campus infrastructure.
- The effort builds on existing scholarship routes such as Chevening and university or foundation awards and responds to a UN-backed finding that roughly 95 percent of examined Gaza higher-education sites were destroyed or damaged, underscoring the wider challenge of preserving study opportunities.