Safenow,finally
Emotions run high as families come home to Dublin after 50 days of terror trapped in Gaza
THERE were emotional scenes at Dublin Airport yesterday as Irish families that had been trapped in Gaza finally arrived home to a rapturous welcome.
A jubilant Ibrahim Alagha emerged with his hands in the air as he led his exhausted but relieved family through the arrival gates just before 1.30pm. His eight-year-old son Sami and father-in-law, also named Sami, were by his side as they arrived to huge cheers from friends and family, following 50 ‘terrible’ days and nights in Gaza.
‘The children were afraid of bombing’
His wife Hamida, daughter Eileen, 4, youngest son Omar, 3, mother-in-law Marwa and brother Jousef followed behind, along with three other Irish citizens who also managed to get from Gaza to Egypt at the Rafah crossing earlier this week.
Ibrahim, an electrical engineer who lives in Blanchardstown, told the Irish Mail on Sunday it was ‘good to be home’ as he rushed straight from the airport to a Palestinian demonstration in the city centre.
His emotional father Sami said he was ‘very happy’ to have his family home after a ‘terrifying wait’.
He said that it was a ‘horrible’ experience to have his three grandchildren trapped in Gaza ‘afraid of the bombing’.
‘It was terrible. We felt such relief when we heard they had entered Egypt and the children were afraid of bombing,’ he added.
The delighted grandad told how it was a ‘very happy weekend’ with his family together again.
Ibrahim’s son Sami told how he was ‘looking forward’ to going back to school on Monday after his traumatic time in Gaza under Israeli bombardment.
Looking happy and a little taken aback by the commotion, his little
sister and brother said they were ‘really happy’ to be home.
Ibrahim had travelled with his family to visit extended family during the summer and they were due to return to their home in the west Dublin suburb in October.
His three children had only ever known life in Ireland, but remained trapped in the war zone with bombs going off, people being killed around them and a ‘severe shortage’ of food, water and power for over seven weeks.
After crossing the Rafah border, he sent a picture of his three children, who looked so happy to be in the safe confines of an Egyptian hotel room, and said: ‘First night since 50 days without fear, without noisy spying drones, without hunger
or thirst, without darkness. Thank you Ireland.’ The Abuowda family from Tallaght, Dublin, also gathered at the airport to welcome 42-year-old Nisreen Abuowda home
‘First night without fear, without darkness’
with her one-year-old daughter Sara. Sara’s father Yahya, who was in Ireland while his wife and daughter travelled to Gaza for a holiday, spoke of his enormous relief to have his wife and baby back on safe ground in Ireland.
But, understandably, he added
that he remains very worried for his remaining extended family who are still in Gaza.
Saeed Sadeq, 21, hugged his Mayo-based mother and brother as he came into the arrivals area in Dublin Airport. ‘I feel safe now, finally,’ he said. ‘I can’t put the words together to see how I feel right now but I feel safe.’
His cousin told of her joy to have him home: ‘It’s amazing, we are still worried about the rest of our family in Gaza but this moment deserves cherishing. He is privileged to be out. I know he wants to sit us down and tell us what he saw, but I know we are going to be broken from hearing it.’