Justice minister must intervene to help talented Gaza students realise their dream of studying in Ireland

The institutions that could train the engineers to rebuild Gaza, the doctors and nurses to heal the wounded and the thinkers to enable the society to reimagine itself and who could inspire the minds of future students, have been reduced to rubble. Picture: Mohammed M Skaik / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

There was a bullet hole in the wall where my young friend had been sleeping. An Israeli drone had fired through the window. Luckily, it did not hit him, but that wasn’t his only near miss. 

On another occasion, the temporary accommodation he and his family were staying in was attacked with little warning in the middle of the night, forcing the family to run for their lives and leaving them to sleep in the streets. 

He sent me a picture of the bullet hole, his destroyed home and many of the other horrors he has witnessed, providing me with a glimpse of what life has been like for a young person in Gaza over the past three years.

I first heard from him last July when I received an email from a high school student in Gaza. He was writing to me as the head of the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at the University of Galway. 

In his email was a picture of him studying in a tent by the light of a makeshift lamp, and he attached a manuscript he had had accepted in an international publication for high-school students, a fantastic achievement, particularly considering his circumstances.

His dream was to study mathematics. A dream that had been shattered by the destruction of the universities in Gaza. His letter was deeply personal, a devastating description of daily life: the displacement, constant bombing, hunger and fear. Never knowing what tomorrow will bring for him and his family. Even through all of that, Mahmoud could not imagine a life without mathematics.

A distinguished participant in local and international mathematics competitions, among many other academic accolades, Mahmoud's aim in life was to make important contributions to the field of mathematics. 

From my interactions with him, his passion and exceptional talent for mathematics were never in doubt. Given an opportunity to study mathematics at university, he would have a bright future.

Over the past year, I’ve come to know Mahmoud and his family. I’ve met with them online and heard about what it feels like when the price of basic foodstuffs suddenly skyrockets in the shortages that resulted from aid blockades, what it's like to live in a society in ruins and to be herded from place to place and menaced constantly by drones overhead. 

In a country that has been bombed into complete dysfunction, the simple task of gathering documentation becomes a huge challenge. Picture: AP/Abdel Kareem Hana

There have been times when I feared for Mahmoud and family, particularly when communication networks go down, that he might be among the number of dead reported on the news.

As soon as I had verified Mahmoud's email was legitimate, I decided I would do whatever I could to help him find a way to study mathematics at a university. As a first step, I set up an online fundraiser. It smashed its target in three days. I was blown away by how generously people contributed to it. 

Most striking for me were the messages from young people, including former students of mine, who knew firsthand the value of what was being denied to Mahmoud.

The visa application was never going to be easy. In a country that has been bombed into complete dysfunction, the simple task of gathering documentation becomes a huge challenge. It took several months of effort to arrange a passport.

Initially, the plan had been for Mahmoud to complete the Leaving Cert in Ireland. But in the 13 months since we began our efforts, things have changed. He has now formally completed his schooling and been offered a place to study mathematics at the University of Galway with all his tuition and living expenses covered. This was a dream come true for Mahmoud.

In June, the documents finally in order, he applied for a study visa, marking the beginning of an anxious wait. By granting the visa, the Irish Government would allow the university to make an important contribution to the future of Gaza, through the education of one of its brightest students. 

Cathal Seoighe: 'The students from Gaza have been told they can appeal the rejection of their study visas, but that appeals must be submitted in hard copy. There is no functioning postal service in Gaza and this seems like an impossible request that will cause huge delay.'

Our anxiety ratcheted up, as stories emerged in the media of other students from Gaza on full scholarships having their study visas denied. The reasons provided often relate directly to the situation in Gaza, like unexplained gaps in education when the whole world knows the education system has been utterly destroyed. 

Earlier this week, we received the devastating news that Mahmoud's study visa application was rejected for similar reasons. A year of hope and work and effort, of making sure we had a strong application, of putting together the support Mahmoud would need after arriving. All that has come to nothing.

The destruction of the universities in Gaza is a cruel blow targeted against the future. The institutions that could train the engineers to rebuild Gaza, the doctors and nurses to heal the wounded and the thinkers to enable the society to reimagine itself and who could inspire the minds of future students, have been reduced to rubble.

The vast majority of the Irish are supportive of helping the Palestinian people. But by imposing impossible conditions on students whose study costs are fully covered, the Irish Government is preventing the most promising students from benefitting from a university education.

Mahmoud's letter of application describes his desire to return to Gaza following his education so he can provide opportunities for higher education for future students like him who have a deep desire to study. 

He, like so many other talented students from Gaza, understands his responsibility to the future of his society and it is heartbreaking and unconscionable that permission to study in Ireland is all that stands in the way of enabling them to realise that potential.

The students from Gaza have been told they can appeal the rejection of their study visas, but that appeals must be submitted in hard copy. There is no functioning postal service in Gaza and this seems like an impossible request that will cause huge delay. 

The minister for justice must intervene to provide a fast-tracked appeal process with documentation in electronic form. Only that will enable Mahmoud, and the other talented students who were due to study in Ireland, to play their part in keeping hope alive for the future of Gaza.

• Cathal Seoighe is a professor at the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Galway