King’s College London honours graduate who died in Gaza with memorial and new scholarship

On Saturday 28th September, the KCL community gathered for a third time to honour MSc graduate, Dr Maisara Alrayyes, with a memorial held on Guy’s Campus.

At this memorial, it was announced that there’d be a scholarship named after Dr Alrayyes following the alumnus’ death on 5th November 2023.

Dr Alrayyes was a postgraduate MSc women and children’s health student at the university between 2019-2020. Born in Gaza, he came to London under the Chevening Scholarship after completing his initial studies at Al Azhar University where he graduated with honours in 2018.

King’s College London has officially recognised Dr Alrayyes as “an outstanding medical student…well-respected and known amongst his colleagues for his dedication to improving healthcare for women and children in low-income and war-affected regions.”

Dr Alrayyes was killed by an Israeli airstrike at his home alongside his family. His body has yet to be recovered and is reported to be concealed under rubble. His two brothers were also killed whilst attempting to locate the body. The King’s College alum is survived by his sister Fatma, and wife Laura Elhayek.

Following the recent memorial, The King’s Tab sat down with Head of KCL Student’s for Justice for Palestine Society, Sami El-Nagi. Sami has been a key figure in ensuring the continuation of honouring Dr Alrayyes. He provided us with an account of the day, alongside some details concerning the  new scholarship.

Before speaking on the day itself, Sami emphasised the distinctions between the three memorials that have so far been held.

He recounted that the first, hosted by Palestine Action, had been a smaller vigil aimed predominately at the current KCL community in order to spread awareness of the alumnus’ passing.

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The second and largest, headed by SJP was more of a personal event, attributable to the attendance of two of Dr Maisara Alrayyes’ close friends, Ahmed Anouq and Dr Bahzad Alakhras. Yet, Sami stated, this third memorial, although on a more intimate scale with a turnout of around 50, had been by far the most powerful.

Speeches were led by members of the SJP and UCU, alongside KCL professor, Dr Jihad Hammad. An address was then made by the Ambassador for Palestine, Dr Husam Zomlot.

Dr Zomlot shared memories of Alrayyes from both their times in London and in Gaza, before thanking and acknowledging the wider student movement and the 68 day encampment that took place over the summer ultimately securing the Dr Maisara Scholarships.

The Tatreez embroidery incorporates a traditional Palestinian style of needlework as a nod to Maisara’s heritage and can be found hanging in New Hunt’s House, Guy’s Campus.

Accounts of Dr Alrayyes were shared by all, with one person saying: “He was always putting others first. I didn’t even know him personally… these are just consistent stories. Everyone would say the same thing about him…He was just incredible.”

The speeches were concluded with an emotional testimony made by Laura, Dr Alrayyes’ wife.

Recollecting on her shared account of the moments immediately succeeding her husband’s death, Sami shared on the impact of this speech.

“It was the most powerful [speech], it was incredible. It was really emotional. The language she used painted the whole picture. The whole room was in tears.

“She saw her whole family killed in front of her and there she was, just standing right there in front of us, sharing her story. That was more than enough for everyone. It was really powerful,” he said.

In concluding the remembrance a portrait of Dr Maisara was contributed by Fatma to honour her brother’s memory.

Students at King’s College London have protested widely since the attacks on 7th October 2023, and continue to protest following the memorial of Dr Maisara Alrayyes on campus.

The Dr Maisara Alrayyes scholarship emerges as a result of the efforts in negotiations made by several parties following the death of Dr Alrayyes.

The UCU, the 68 day encampment group, the SJP, and finally, Dr Alrayyes’ surviving family and the support of the wider KCL community, are amongst those who have made a significant impact.

Revealing the details of the scholarship, King’s College London announced: “The Alrayyes Scholarship is designed to provide the best and brightest Palestinian students with a one-year Postgraduate Master’s Degree in a health or health science subject.

“The scholarship will support students whose work reflects Dr Alrayyes’ determination and perseverance, including his dedication to helping others through advancing and improving health outcomes.”

The programme aims to grant four scholarships every year for the next five years.

Whilst the launch of the programme marks a significant success for the groups that have advocated for acknowledgement and commemoration, it has been widely communicated that this is only the beginning.

When asked to comment on the scholarship Sami said: “I think its great but it’s a first step. Its nice to have Dr Maisara’s name institutionalised in King’s and help inspire a path for people that were in similar circumstances…but, scholarships themselves don’t solve every problem by any means. So, we’re not stopping there.”

Feature image via Sami El-Nagi

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