Educators in Palestine Forge Emotional Resilience Amid Crisis

In the midst of ongoing conflict and displacement, educators and students in Palestine are transforming challenging emotions into acts of resilience and care. A project initiated in January 2024 at the Ibn Sina College in Nablus, Palestine, aims to explore how these individuals navigate their emotional landscapes in a region experiencing significant turmoil. With support from Université de Montréal International, this collaboration involves discussions with faculty members to better understand their emotional states against the backdrop of occupation and violence.

From January 2024 to September 2025, researchers engaged in bi-monthly meetings with five professors and the dean of nursing and midwifery at the college. They revealed the necessity of being emotionally present for their students, even while grappling with the harsh realities of Israel’s military occupation and the catastrophic situation in Gaza. The educators sought tools to manage their emotional burdens, leading to the development of an intervention tool known as CARE (Connection, Action, Resistance, Empowerment).

Understanding Resistance Fatigue and Qahr

Two central emotional states emerged from these discussions: resistance fatigue and qahr. Resistance fatigue refers to the overwhelming sense of losing control over one’s life, shaped by political oppression and forced displacement. In contrast, qahr encapsulates a deeper emotional experience prevalent in Arabic-speaking cultures. It intertwines feelings of powerlessness, grief, and a profound sense of injustice.

Qahr conveys the weight of injustice and the pain of being marginalized, often manifesting as silent suffering. It is an emotion that transcends simple definitions, representing a resilience born from the determination to resist erasure. The actions stemming from qahr can take various forms, such as storytelling, art, and everyday acts of defiance against military occupation. These actions reflect a deep care for oneself, one’s community, and shared history.

Insights from Educators and the CARE Intervention

Previous research conducted with educators in Lebanon highlighted similar emotional struggles faced in classrooms during crises. Teachers there shared experiences of loss, violence, and instability, but they also spoke of hope and resistance. Asma, a teacher from Gaza, noted the resilience of people in her region, stating, “People in the Gaza Strip have become experts in creating alternative life plans.” This duality of suffering and hope is evident in the educational initiatives that continue to emerge despite adversity.

The CARE intervention was developed to address the emotional needs uncovered during the project. It combines insights from acceptance and commitment therapy with culturally relevant strategies tailored for educators and students. Through online dialogues, participants reflected on their experiences of teaching amid conflict, discussing loss while remaining committed to their educational roles.

Initially intended to support the psychosocial needs of healthcare professionals, the project evolved into a comprehensive training module addressing trauma and mental health. Faculty members expressed a strong desire to share their complex emotions to better support their students. As the collaboration progresses, there remains a focus on how emotional experiences can inform teaching practices and relationships within the educational environment.

The CARE program emphasizes strategies for educators and students to collectively engage with their emotions, fostering an environment where feelings such as qahr can be acknowledged and transformed into constructive actions. A guidebook integrating CARE principles was first delivered to nursing instructors in the fall of 2025, marking a significant step in this collaborative effort.

Through this initiative, educators in Palestine are not only addressing their emotional challenges but also creating pathways for resilience and hope. By recognizing qahr as a legitimate feeling, they are learning to navigate their emotional landscape in ways that empower both themselves and their students. This ongoing dialogue invites a deeper understanding of the complexity of emotions in the face of adversity, encouraging a reflective approach to both teaching and learning in times of crisis.

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointments.