Israel Kills Top Palestinian Scientist, President of Islamic University, with Whole Family in Gaza

December 2, 2023

Sufian Tayeh, the chairman of the Islamic University in Gaza. (Photo: via social media)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

In 2021, Professor Sufian Tayeh was classified as one of two percent of the best researchers in the world, according to Quds News Network.

Professor Sufian Tayeh, along with his whole family, was killed in renewed Israeli attacks on the Strip on Saturday, the Palestinian Higher Education Ministry said.

Professor Tayeh was a prominent Palestinian scientist and the president of the Islamic University of Gaza, the Strip’s leading academic institution.

The Palestinian scientist is not the first educator or academic to be killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. His killing, however, has sent shockwaves across the academic community throughout the region.

The accomplished scientist and beloved family man was a leading researcher in physics and applied mathematics, Reuters news agency reported. 

In 2021, he was classified as one of two percent of the best researchers in the world, according to Quds News Network. 

Indeed, Tayeh’s research has been recognized internationally, including by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 183 Palestinian teachers have been killed by Israel since October 7. 

About 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes across various areas of Gaza since Friday morning, as Israel resumed its aggression after a seven-day truce, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.

A four-day truce, which began on Friday, November 24, was extended twice, and collapsed on Friday, December 1, at 7 am local time.

Since October 7, over 15,207 Palestinians, including over 6,200 children and more than 4,000 women were killed, with another 40,652 wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.

(The Palestine Chronicle)