IFUT’s Ongoing Call for Ceasefire and Educational Protection 

The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) continues to express deep alarm over the ever-worsening situation in Gaza and the catastrophic impact of the conflict on education. International reporting reveals that Gaza’s education system has been decimated: hundreds of schools and university campuses have been destroyed, thousands of students and educators killed or displaced, creating what many are calling a “lost generation.” 

The use of famine as a weapon of war is something that no right-minded person could consider in 2025.  The Executive of IFUT calls on those with political influence to use it meaningfully and effectively, both to secure an immediate ceasefire to allow for aid to flow through safely to those who are in need, and to demand an end to the war in its entirety.  

Education was among the first casualties of the war, according to The Financial Times.  Entire institutions such as Al-Azhar University, a university of 14,000 students, lies in ruins. The collapse has imperilled decades of academic progress and could trigger a brain drain that undermines Gaza’s capacity for future recovery.    

There have been more than 200 attacks on educational facilities, with 80 percent of university buildings destroyed, hundreds of academics and tens of thousands of students have been killed, and many more will be unable to resume their studies when the conflict finally ends. The entire education infrastructure, along with so much more, will need to be entirely rebuilt when the genocide ends.  Education builds societies. Its destruction undermines generations.    

Given these stark realities, IFUT reiterates its demand that all parties and those in influence must urgently call for an immediate ceasefire to protect all civilians and to restore humanitarian access.  Media accounts, and our own understanding, emphasise that the pre-war “status quo” in Gaza was far from ideal. A just and sustainable peace demands more than reconstruction, it requires addressing structural challenges so that future generations can learn, grow, and contribute. 

IFUT recently wrote to the Minister for Further and Higher Education regarding Ireland’s adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. IFUT’s letter urged clarity and caution: academic freedom must be preserved, ensuring that criticism of state actions—particularly regarding human rights and international law—cannot be improperly classified as antisemitism as it is under IHRA’s examples.  There is no evidence to suggest that our government has reconsidered its position regarding the definition since we, and many other groups and individuals, expressed our considered opinions on the definition. 

IFUT call on all those with influence, including policymakers, public institutions, and those with influence over the Irish Central Bank to use every lever at their disposal to bring about an immediate cessation of this genocide. Irish trade unions and civic society have consistently urged our government to use its moral and diplomatic weight to hold Israel accountable under international law. Ireland cannot stand idly by: we must amplify our voice on the global stage, apply political and economic pressure where possible, and ensure that no Irish institution is complicit, directly or indirectly, in sustaining this atrocity.