Israeli higher education institutions opened the academic year on Sunday amid the backdrop of the Gaza war for the second consecutive time, as tens of thousands of students — some still actively serving in the reserves — head to universities and colleges.

Data from universities and colleges indicate that one in five students served in the reserves in the last academic year — marking about 70,000 students — and similar numbers are expected this year.

Ahead of the academic year, university heads pledged to continue supporting reservists to minimize the impact on them and help them complete their degrees. They also showed concern about anticipated cuts to higher education, urging funds be allocated to address these challenges and were also troubled by the growing phenomenon of boycotts against Israeli institutions and researchers worldwide.

Universities report a significant number of reservists already mobilized, with more expected to do so throughout the year. At the Hebrew University, 2,000 reservists will start the year, while Tel Aviv University has about 1,600, Ariel University has 1,900, Ben-Gurion University has 1,700, a similar number at Bar-Ilan University and over 1,000 at the Technion.

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