A Palestinian woman offered a college place in TU Dublin is urgently appealing to the Irish government for their assistance to leave Gaza to study in Ireland.

Haya - who would only give her first name - is a 22-year-old whose student visa cannot be issued as a result of there being no evacuation order in place for her release. 

Haya, from Gaza city, contacted Lunchtime Live to share her story and issue an urgent appeal with her Data Science and Artificial Intelligence course due to commence on 8th September. She explained why she applied for this course to Andrea Gilligan.

 “I started studying here in Gaza, and when this all started, universities here got attacked and demolished and the education system has [since] fallen apart,” she says. 

“When I saw that I didn’t have any chance to continue my life, my future, my career here I started to look for opportunities elsewhere.” 

Gazan woman looking to study in Dublin

Haya looks at a destroyed building in Gaza

She was accepted onto the course in TU Dublin and - partly through donations from others - was able to fundraise the fees. She had the requirements met to obtain a student visa but until she is issued an evacuation notice, she cannot leave Gaza.

When Haya contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland, they stated that they are unable to formally issue her visa as she says that “they don't have any information about an upcoming evacuation unless the borders open or I am evacuated by Ireland. If I’m not evacuated then I’m still stuck here”. 

Haya described the harrowing conditions in Gaza that she is living in and longs to escape:

“It’s just horrifying, I can’t express or describe the horror that we’re living every day here. I can’t even believe that I’m still alive.

“We barely have a meal a day, and the food we find is expired. It is very inhumane to be washed out like this,” she says. 

She adds that if she did come to Ireland it would be difficult leaving her family in these conditions, but says “at least it would give me and them hope that things will get better.

“If I can get a good education, I can help my family.

“I want to continue my dreams, my career and come back to contribute in building back my home”. 

She reiterated her plea to the Irish government and people, saying “I have hope in Ireland that they will not leave me to die.”

Written by Cara McHugh.