Irish-Palestinian Zak Hania to be reunited with family in Ireland

Batoul Hania with her sons Mazen, 19, Ismael, 17, Ahmed, 14 and Nour Mohamed, 11, who had to flee from their home in Gaza because of the bombardment of their neighbourhood by the Israeli Defence Forces. Picture: Moya Nolan

An Irish-Palestinian man who was trapped in war-torn Gaza for months will be reunited with his family in Ireland this weekend.

Zak Hania has finally fled Rafah almost six months after his family made the move back to Ireland. 

His family has been campaigning for his return ever since they arrived in Dublin.

The Hania family were among 28 Irish citizens who were evacuated in November by the Department of Foreign Affairs via Cairo to Dublin.

The three brothers and mother had walked for days, making two long journeys from north Gaza to the Rafah Crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

His wife Batoul Hania said her husband is now in Egypt and is expected to arrive in Dublin tomorrow.

It has been a long time coming for the Hania family, who had hoped to be reunited with their father in time for Christmas last year.

“He is still back there, and we wait for news every day,” Mazen Hania told the Irish Examiner in December.

“We don’t know why he was not on the list, he is an Irish citizen, so every day we don’t know if he will live or if he will die. We want to have all the family here, and safe.

“We have left everything behind, but we want our father here, for Christmas and for our family to be together.

“It’s like we left him there to die. The situation over there is like something you can’t even imagine.”

Mrs Hania said despite the threat to their lives, fleeing Gaza was one of the most difficult decisions she has ever been faced with — when she was forced to walk away from her husband who could not leave.

“I was screaming, ‘I can’t go’, but my husband and his family said ‘you have to go, just go’,” she said.