The lawyer of a prospective UCD student trapped in Gaza has said she is “deeply ashamed” that the Irish Government has not granted him a visa.
A number of Palestinian students have had their applications for student visas rejected by the Department of Justice.
One of them is a 30-year-old man called Othman Abd Rabou, who was due to start at University College Dublin, where he has a scholarship to study media and communications
On The Claire Byrne Show, his lawyer, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, described him as an “incredible person” who lost five siblings during the Gaza War, two of whom were journalists.
“They were both killed in August 2024 in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a refugee camp,” she recalled.
“He also lost his brother, Ahmed, his sister, Anas, who was a nurse, and his sister, Noris.
“The other three siblings, who wern’t journalists, they were killed in December 2024, so almost two years ago.
“To this day, their bodies remain under the rubble there; he's been unable to actually retrieve their bodies and give them a proper burial.”
The King's Counsel added that for many years, Mr Abd Rabou dreamed of studying abroad and always hoped he could do so in Ireland the country holds a “special place in my heart” because of its support for the Palestinian cause.
“I'm also proud that he chose UCD to study and that UCD welcomed him with open arms,” she said.
“He talks about how UCD helped him and removed obstacles in his way for the application - and so that makes you feel proud.
“But then you move, of course, to feeling really quite deeply ashamed by what's happened with how the Irish Government has treated his and many other applications.”
Ms Gallagher condemned the Irish Government, who she argued has treated the Palestinian students with “inhumanity”:
“He and the many other students were asked to file their appeals by post,” she said.
“There's no postal system in Gaza - they're living in a war zone - and it's absolutely astonishing that they are being asked to do that.”
The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment.
Main image: Buildings in Jebaliya that were destroyed by the IDF. Picture by: Alamy.com.
