Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza carry their belongings along the coastal road toward southern Gaza, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders from Gaza City.FILE | Associated Press

A growing number of universities, academic institutions and scholarly bodies across the world are severing links with Israeli academia, citing complicity in Israel's actions in Gaza, The Guardian reported.

According to Gaza's health ministry, more than 63,000 people have been killed in the enclave, most of them civilians, with UN-backed experts confirming a "man-made famine" amid widespread destruction.

In response, institutions from South America to Europe have distanced themselves from Israeli universities. The Federal University of Ceará in Brazil cancelled an innovation summit last year, while universities in Norway, Belgium, Spain and Ireland's Trinity College Dublin have also cut ties. The University of Amsterdam has ended a student exchange programme with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the European Association of Social Anthropologists has barred collaboration with Israeli academia, The Guardian noted.

The campaign, led by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, argues that Israeli universities are entwined with the military and state institutions. Stephanie Adam, a spokesperson for the group, told The Guardian that there is "a moral and legal obligation for universities to end ties with complicit Israeli universities."

While support for boycotts is rising, many UK, French and German universities remain opposed. Universities UK has reiterated its stance against "blanket academic boycotts," calling them an infringement on academic freedom. The Royal Society has taken a similar position, The Guardian said.