Professor Dr. Ashraf Yaqoub Yahya Al-Jedi (Abu Al-Baraa) is one of the most prominent academic and scientific figures in the Gaza Strip. Throughout his career, he has combined leadership in public health and nursing with humanitarian and religious excellence as one of the most prominent memorizers of the Holy Quran in Palestine.
1. Personal Background and Upbringing
Marital Status: Married with six children (including: Baraa, Aseel, Muhammad, Sana, Hamza, and Bisan).
Quranic Upbringing: He was known for his deep commitment to raising his children according to the teachings of the Holy Quran; four of his children memorized the entire Quran during his lifetime.
2. Academic Qualifications and Degrees
PhD (2005): He received his PhD in International Public Health from the prestigious Bielefeld University in northwestern Germany.
Doctoral Dissertation: His dissertation focused on “The Relationship Between the Health Environment of Palestinian Refugees in Camps and the Prevalence of Diabetes,” and this study formed the cornerstone of his subsequent research career.
Full Professorship: He progressed through the academic ranks at the Islamic University of Gaza until he attained the rank of Full Professor in Nursing and Public Health, a result of his prolific and distinguished scholarly output.
3. Professional and Academic Career
Deanship: He served as Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the Islamic University of Gaza, leading the faculty for many years in developing curricula and training thousands of medical professionals.
Throughout his tenure as Dean of the Faculty of Nursing at the Islamic University of Gaza, Dr. Al-Jedi spearheaded an academic revolution in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, which included:
Developing Bachelor’s Degree Programs
He oversaw the development and modernization of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and the Bachelor of Science in Midwifery programs to meet international health standards.
He emphasized linking theoretical knowledge with intensive field training in Gaza Strip hospitals to graduate qualified personnel capable of responding to wars and crises.
Establishing and Managing Master’s Degree Programs
Master’s in Community Mental Health: He is considered one of the key contributors to launching this pioneering program for training nurses in the field of psychological support and rehabilitation of the injured. Master of Advanced Legal Midwifery: He spearheaded efforts to accredit this advanced program to improve maternal and child health care in Palestine.
Critical Care and Emergency Nursing: He supervised and examined dozens of master’s theses for researchers in this specialized field, and continued to support his students until the end of his life.
Research Output: He authored and published over 25 scientific papers and academic articles in internationally peer-reviewed and internationally ranked journals. His research focuses on:
Health-related quality of life (QoL) for patients with diabetes and chronic diseases.
The health of Palestinian refugees in camps.
Healthcare during crises and wars and assessing the quality of life of those injured in previous wars in Gaza.
Infection control and prevention.
International Review and Scientific Activity:
In 2021, he received certification as an accredited international scientific reviewer and evaluator from the renowned American journal *Nursing Open*, published by Wiley.
He was appointed to the editorial board of the *Journal of Nursing and Patient-Care* (JNPHC). He served as a reviewer for academic promotion research at several Arab and international universities and coordinated pioneering health projects in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
4. His Quranic and Religious Journey (A Man of Knowledge and the Quran)
In addition to his academic excellence, Dr. Ashraf was a prominent figure in Quranic work in Gaza:
Safwat Al-Huffaz (Elite Memorizers): He participated with distinction in the massive Quranic project “Safwat Al-Huffaz” in the Gaza Strip, where he recited the entire Holy Quran from memory in a single session.
Certification and Chain of Transmission: He received an unbroken chain of transmission (sanad) back to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Quranic recitation from leading reciters in the Gaza Strip and worked as a Quran teacher and memorizer.
5. Martyrdom
Date: Thursday, October 24, 2024
Place and Event: Professor Ashraf Al-Jedi was martyred in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a school sheltering displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The doctor was martyred as part of the occupation’s ongoing targeting of prominent educational and medical minds and personnel in the sector.
