I created two versions of a song using an AI-powered, human-assisted approach about a 21 October 2026 LinkedIn post by Enas Matter, a first-year medical student at Al-Azhar University in Gaza. It was her first day attending classes in person. Here’s the post followed by the songs and the lyrics.

Here’s some information about Al-Azhar University excerpted from its Wikipedia entry: Destruction during Gaza war In November 2023, the university’s facilities were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during Israel’s bombing of the Gaza Strip. The IDF performed additional demolition in December, after alleging it discovered tunnels under the university and weapons stored at the university. The university suffered more than $200 million in losses during the Gaza war. Due to the severity of the attacks on the facility by the Israeli military, South Africa used the university’s destruction as evidence in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. There’s a photo of the beautiful Faculty of Arts building before Israel destroyed it.

Related recommended reading: SCHOLASTICIDE IN GAZA: The Systematic Destruction of Palestinian Higher Education and the Continuation of Collective Resilience (PDF download/168 pp. report)

MAA

Today was my first day attending university in person, and it was far more difficult than I had imagined.

I was shocked by the overcrowded classrooms, the limited space available for students, and the shortage of teaching staff needed to meet the growing educational needs, especially in medical colleges.

I saw damaged lecture halls, broken chairs, and medical equipment that should have been helping students develop the skills they need for their future professions. It was difficult to face the reality of how much the quality of education in Gaza continues to suffer.

At the same time, some university buildings and classrooms are still being used as shelters for displaced families who have lost their homes and have nowhere else to go. How can we blame them when so many people are still struggling to find a safe place to live?

This is the reality of one of the few universities that remain available to students in Gaza after the war.

As a medical student, I felt a mix of sadness, frustration, and determination. I want to learn, grow, and become a doctor who can make a difference. But I also know that passion alone cannot replace the educational resources, qualified teachers, and practical training that students need.

I deeply hope to receive a fully funded scholarship abroad that will allow me to continue the journey I started and pursue the education I deserve. I do not want to give up on my dream simply because the circumstances around me have made it harder to achieve.

Students in Gaza still have dreams, abilities, and the desire to build a better future. We need opportunities, support, and access to quality education to turn those dreams into reality.

Education should not be another dream that war takes away from us.

Verse 1
Today I walked into a classroom,
With my books held to my chest.
I’d waited so long for this morning,
For a chance to do my best.
But the halls were filled with students,
There was barely room to stand.
Broken chairs and shattered windows,
And a future no one planned.

Verse 2
In the rooms where we should practice,
Broken instruments remain.
Too few teachers for the questions,
Too much knowledge still to gain.
Down the hall, a family shelters,
Where our lessons used to be.
How could I ask them to leave there,
When there’s nowhere else to sleep?

Pre-Chorus
I came here hoping to become
Someone who could ease the pain.
But how can we learn to save a life
When so little still remains?

Chorus
Let us learn to heal,
Let us have the chance to grow.
There are things we need to understand,
So much we need to know.
Hope can keep a dream alive,
But hope alone won’t do.
We need the tools, the time, the teachers,
And a future we can choose.
Oh, let us learn to heal,
That’s all we’re asking you.

Verse 3
I have dreamed of being a doctor,
Of the lives that I might save.
Of the hands that I could comfort,
Of the hope that I could give.
But a dream needs more than courage,
And a heart needs more than will.
We need books and laboratories,
And the chance to learn our skills.

Pre-Chorus
And somewhere there’s an open door,
A place where I could learn.
A scholarship, a helping hand,
A chance I’ve yet to earn.

Chorus
Let us learn to heal,
Let us have the chance to grow.
There are things we need to understand,
So much we need to know.
Hope can keep a dream alive,
But hope alone won’t do.
We need the tools, the time, the teachers,
And a future we can choose.
Oh, let us learn to heal,
That’s all we’re asking you.

Bridge
If I could cross the borders,
If I could find a way,
I’d carry Gaza in my heart
Through every night and day.
Not to forget the suffering,
Not to leave our dreams behind,
But to learn the art of healing,
And bring hope to humankind.

We are more than broken buildings,
More than everything we’ve lost.
We are students with ambitions
That should never bear this cost.

Final Chorus
Let us learn to heal,
Let us have the chance to grow.
There are lives we long to care for,
So much we need to know.
Hope can keep a dream alive,
But hope alone won’t do.
Give us classrooms, give us teachers,
Give us futures we can choose.

Let us learn to heal,
Let our dreams become something real.
Don’t let war take one more thing—
The chance to learn,
The chance to give,
The chance to heal.

Outro
Today I walked into a classroom,
And I saw what war had done.
But I still dream of being a doctor.
And I’m not the only one.

Let us learn to heal.