GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Islamic University of Gaza — which is one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the Gaza Strip — has been battling a financial crisis for 2½ years now.

The repercussions of this crisis have started to clearly manifest; the university closed its gates for three days in January following disagreements between its administration and its staff union about the rights of employees at the university. The union subsequently resigned.

The Islamic University, which was founded in 1978 as the first university in the Gaza Strip, is now suffering a severe financial crisis affecting the living standards of its staff. In mid-2014, the university’s administration issued a decision to implement a 40% reduction in the monthly salaries of its staff.

These substantial income cuts led the university staff to resort to applying for financial aid provided by various charities. Riyad Shahin, a history professor at the Islamic University, who also serves as chairman of al-Riyad Charity Society in Gaza City, told Al-Monitor that some of the university staff have applied to his charity seeking financial support.