‘I feel abandoned by Irish Government and I’m terrified I’ll never see my family again’
AN Irish-Palestinian man who was blocked from leaving Gaza has described his fear of not seeing his family again and how life in Rafah has become ‘critical’.
Zak Hania said he feels ‘abandoned’ by the Irish authorities after appeals for help to leave went unanswered.
Mr Hania’s wife, Batoul, and their four sons were among the Irish citizens who left Gaza via the Rafah border last November and are now living in Dublin.
However, Mr Hania was not accepted onto the list of evacuees and was left in the territory, where he fears for his life.
Mrs Hania and her four Irish-born sons, Mazen, Ismael, Ahmed and Nour, have spent months pleading for help from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), but have been unable to get her husband clearance to leave.
‘I think I am abandoned. I’m happy my kids left this terror and genocide and I urge everyone to help me and reunite me with my family,’ Mr Hania said, adding that life in Rafah is ‘very hard’.
He continued: ‘Last night we had the worst night since I have been here. We woke up at 1am to the sounds of missiles and bombardment and were not sure what was happening. We thought the Israelis were invading Rafah. It’s so dark... We don’t know where all the bombs are. We can’t go outside to see. It is very horrible and very hard at night. All people thought they were going to die because of the attacks.
‘Around 100 people were killed last night and lots of people injured. They attacked houses and they attacked mosques.
‘I see people moving from Rafah on cars and donkeys. They take their blankets and things. Rafah is so crowded. It’s full of people and it has become a tent city. Every space is filled with tents.’
He said there are around 1.5million people in Rafah, and if the city is attacked, ‘it will be terrible’. He added: ‘The situation is very grim. We are exhausted. We have no energy and are close to collapsing... We don’t know where to go. We were told to go to Rafah as it’s safe and now lots of people are here and we don’t know where to go... we are not sure what to do.’
Mr Hania said he does not know why he was blocked from leaving Gaza. ‘The DFA said the relevant [Israeli] authorities refused me to leave but didn’t give a reason. I am held against my will and I consider myself to be a hostage in Gaza,’ he added.
‘I want to join my kids. Things are becoming critical here. I don’t know if I will be able to see my children again and hug them.
‘I want to join my family and don’t want to be separated from them. They are worried about me in Dublin. I was told by DFA to go to Rafah to leave and now I am stuck here. I have no place to go.’
His son Mazen described his family’s journey from their home in Beach Camp, northern Gaza. The 19-year-old, who was born in Dublin and moved to Gaza in 2012, was studying engineering when his home town was attacked. Around 20 of his family members, including a three-month-old baby, left their home and travelled to a cousin’s house near al-Shifa hospital.
Mazen said: ‘Before we left we had three bags of flour – each weighing 25kg – provided by UNRWA [a UN relief agency]. It was hell of a journey. We had gallon-sized barrels and had to stand in queues for three hours to get to the taps of water.’
Days later, the family were told to evacuate the building following a warning from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). ‘We moved on to somewhere new. If we felt good and healthy in the morning we would fast during the day and eat only small things like one piece of bread,’ Mazen said. ‘We only had one meal a day. There were 11 children in total with us. There was so much rubbish in the streets and we saw bodies too. Sometimes you couldn’t tell the difference between rubbish and bodies.’
The Irish Embassy in the region told the family to travel to Rafah. They were all on the clearance list, except Mr Hania.
‘My dad was so angry... He spoke to the Department of Foreign Affairs and we were told the Israeli authorities had him on the red list,’ Mazen said. ‘My dad did his masters in journalism in DCU, and worked as a lecturer at the University of Palestine... He resigned and worked as a translator and translates essays and reports. I don’t know why he is on
‘I am held against my will’
‘Not dealing with the issue’
the blacklist. Since October, he contacted press in Ireland, including RTÉ as well as Al Jazeera. He filmed himself talking about the situation and recorded some videos. They don’t want pictures in Gaza to go international.’
Mazen, who is studying at UCD, said he has not received updates from the DFA. ‘We spoke to [Tánaiste] Micheál Martin and the DFA but we have had no updates. I feel they are not dealing with the issue,’ he said.
A spokesperson for the DFA said: ‘The Government, through our embassies in the region, has consistently sought clearance for all Irish citizens who wish to exit Gaza to do so. We continue to advocate with the authorities in relation to those who have not yet been permitted to leave.
‘As with all consular cases, the department does not comment on the detail of individual cases.’