'All of a sudden you're safe': Law student evacuated from Gaza speaks of survivor's guilt and coping with British weather

The only items in her possession were her documents and the clothes on her back.

Securing a place a spot at the University of Sheffield, Yara had dreamed of studying international law and global justice - an opportunity obtained through the Gaza-Palestine Scholarship.

A 2023 graduate of Al-Azhar University in Gaza, the 24-year-old was among the first of the Gaza40+ to be evacuated from the war-torn region - a term that refers to a group of over 40 students offered places at top UK universities.

But the group's journey to the UK was anything but straightforward.

After Gaza City’s only UK-authorised Visa Application Centre (VAC) closed in 2023 as a result of the conflict, the group also found themselves unable to travel to neighbouring countries to complete biometric checks - mandatory UK Visa requirements demanded by the government.

Yara's long and uncertain passage to the UK involved a day-long bus trip from Gaza to Jordan, where she then boarded a plane to London Heathrow.

The evacuees arrived on the evening of September 22, where Yara was greeted by a member of university staff and another student from Gaza.

Before the war, she lived in an apartment with her parents, older brother, two younger sisters and their cat Bosbos.

She told LBC her determination and passion for education kept her going through two years of instability, displacement and conflict.

Two months into living in Sheffield, she says that she is still getting used to the simple concept of feeling safe.

“It was hard in the beginning,” she said.

“It gives you time to realise you have survived.” 

Yara said she is reminded of this when she looks at the sky and can’t hear anything.

“In Gaza, we always hear the buzzing noise of the sound of drones. Now I’ve stopped hearing it.

“I realised I got out,” she reflects. “All of a sudden you’re safe”.

'Freezing'

Sheffield’s weather, however, was its own kind of shock.

Yara admits being “freezing” for the first few weeks and barely left her accommodation.

However, she said she is slowly adapting to the city’s climate adding she is adapting to walking - which she greatly enjoys - in the rain.

It's a task made all the more trickier by Sheffield’s nine hills. She was advised to buy a good pair of boots because walking around Sheffield is like “climbing a mountain”.

Yara also plans to visit the nearby Peak District - but only when the weather improves.

Despite the cold, she has found joy in her new surroundings.

“Sheffield is very green and beautiful,” she said. “Someone told me that for every person in Sheffield there are four trees. 

“I love trees - I haven’t seen them in a long time because of the rubble and destruction.”

She compared the experience of leaving Gaza for the UK to being in a cave for a long time and then getting out. 

“It’s a lot of colour, and sometimes it hurts your eyes.”

But, she credits the people she has met for making the transition easier.

“Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly. I’ve made lots of friends. The university has been very supportive.”

Nonetheless, Yara wants more UK universities to open up spaces for students from Gaza.

In September, the government authorised plans allowing recipients of fully funded scholarships to undergo the required checks in another country, resulting in the successful evacuation of 34 students.

But, the student visa requirements are still in effect, leaving several offer holders still trapped in Gaza.

Abtisam Mohammed, MP for Sheffield Central, raised Yara’s plight in the House of Commons, something which Yara said made her “feel seen and heard”.

Yet, the emotional shift to adapting to life in the UK has been complex. 

“Life is lighter here,” she admits, though she spoke of the survivor’s guilt that comes with living in safety and comfort while friends and family remain in danger.

For the first time in years, she says she can feel the absence of fear in her day-to-day life. 

She no longer feels “alarmed,” no longer has “the feeling of leaving a building to run” or bracing herself for a phone call about losing friends or family.

“Every basic right you’re supposed to have is a luxury,” she said. 

She added that in Gaza, there is no cooking gas - families have had to “fire the food themselves”.

This, she says, reinforces how grateful she feels, while also recognising that people in other warzones such as Yemen and Sudan face similarly terrible conditions.

The heart of Yara’s decision to leave Gaza was not just to escape - it was purpose. 

For her, education is a lifeline, and a deeply valued one.

“For me, attending lectures means a lot. Palestinians really value education,” she said.

Now studying international law and global justice, Yara wants to focus on gender in conflict and the challenges faced by women through war.

“I got out of Gaza with the goal of supporting women,” she said. “I have seen the lives of women and girls in armed conflict.”

“It makes you wonder: how can we support these people? How can we bring accountability?”

Her experience in Gaza as a project coordinator for AISHA, a nonprofit providing psychological support to women and girls, shaped her work and ambition.

'We keep going'

Back home, the university Yara attended is now largely under rubble. Yet, she says people continue to rebuild.

“We love our home, we love Gaza. We keep going, we keep rebuilding. This is the beauty of Gaza and its people.”

She dreams of returning one day to help with the regeneration.

“This is what is amazing about the people of Gaza, we’re not superheroes. Despite everything we keep going.”

Though Yara couldn’t bring a single item with her from Gaza, she carries everything that counts: memories, purpose, and the idea that “home is something inside of us.”