[1] The university was established in 2005, making it one of Gaza's youngest higher education institutions.

Besides its Al-Zahra headquarters, it has subsidiary branches in Khan Younis and Beit Lahiya.

[2] The university's primary scholarship system is merit-based, with award amounts largely dependent on students' Tawjihi scores; it also offers legacy financial aid.

[3] The university offers an open access repository[4] for scholarly output by research centers, faculty staff and students, as well as a published Arabic Lightweight OpenCourseWare.

[7] UP's main campus was destroyed by the Israeli military on January 17, 2024.