KHAN YOUNIS — Flora ice cream parlour opened on March 19, 2026, in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, in southern Gaza. Seven university students own and operate the business on the Al-Rashid coastal road, selling ice cream, fresh juices, cake, knafeh, and other sweets. Approximately 88,000 university students in Gaza suspended their studies after October 2023. A 2025 report states that 95 percent of university campuses in Gaza are damaged or destroyed.

Jihad al-Saqa, a medical student at Al-Azhar University, works evening shifts at the shop. al-Saqa relocated to al-Mawasi after an Israeli air strike destroyed his family house and land. "I had searched for work all over al-Mawasi, where I live with my family in displacement after our house and land were struck by Israeli air strikes. The jobs I found paid poorly and demanded 12-hour shifts, which were incompatible with the dedication and focus my studies required," al-Saqa said. "I felt that the medical profession is of great benefit to people, that God uses you to benefit and save their lives. That's what drives me, as I'm seeking the reward in the afterlife, not the worldly one," he said.

Qassem al-Agha, a software engineering student and co-founder, financed the business. The shop cost more than $25,000 to construct. al-Agha borrowed money from an uncle and a friend, and used $1,000 from his mother's sold wedding bracelet. "I was so sad watching my mother sell a beautiful memory of her life. But she insisted, so I could find work and return to university," al-Agha said. Builders used materials from destroyed homes in al-Qarara. "A drone followed us near our homes, we barely escaped. My uncle Bassem al-Saqa, 45-years-old, was killed that day on March 3, 2026," he said. "Our project was born through blood, hardship, and accumulated debt. Flora is not just a project, it is life, hope and a future for everyone who works here."

Ahmed Shabir, a dentistry student, also works at the shop. Shabir was held by Israeli soldiers as a human shield for three days in January 2024. "I refused to abandon my father, even as the tanks rolled in. For three days, I was used by Israeli soldiers as a human shield during raids on homes and streets in the neighbourhood, hungry and thirsty. I was certain I would not survive," Shabir said. "When we struggle to source ingredients or get much-needed equipment, it does not compare to being a human shield, or to what happened before, when I tried to move the wounded before they died and came back with my clothes soaked in their blood. We have no choice but to succeed," he said. "The admiration for what we're doing won't last forever. What sustains it is the quality."