PalCast released episode 105, titled “Tomorrow Will Be Better,” which featured a conversation with Dr. Muhammad Almassarey from Gaza. Hosted by Yousef and Tony, the episode explored how Almassarey completed his PhD in Business Management while living through the ongoing genocide. He had pursued his degree through Universiti Utara Malaysia and wrote most of his doctoral thesis while displaced in Gaza. The full episode is now available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Dr. Almassarey described how he completed about sixty percent of his dissertation while living in a tent after losing his home. During the war he and his family were displaced more than ten times. At one point he recovered his thesis files from under the rubble of his destroyed home. Throughout the ordeal he repeated a simple phrase that guided him through the process, that there is tomorrow and it will be better.
He also explained the daily struggle to access electricity and internet in order to continue his research. He walked long distances searching for a signal or a place where he could charge his laptop. Sometimes he spent hours just to send one email to his university. Despite these obstacles he managed to publish an article in a Scopus indexed journal. He prepared the article while sitting at a cold water station beside customers and parked cars, extracting material from his thesis and continuing his work.
The conversation also highlighted the role of solidarity and community support. People around him offered electricity, internet access, and safe places where he could work for a few hours. After completing his PhD, Almassarey began volunteering to train students and graduates in entrepreneurship and recovery skills. He framed education as a form of resistance and as a path toward rebuilding Gaza. Listen to the full episode to hear his story in his own words and don’t forget to share it with others!