Tánaiste says he is ‘delighted’ that Irish-Palestinian man Zak Hania will be reunited with family in Dublin after being trapped in Rafah

An Irish-Palestinian man who was blocked from leaving the Gaza strip after his family escaped last November has finally managed to flee the country.

Zak Hania, who had been trapped in Rafah for several months is due to return to Ireland tomorrow, after successfully crossing into Egypt, RTÉ News reported this morning.

His family said that he crossed the border and is in Egypt, and is expected to arrive in Dublin on Saturday.

Mr Hania’s wife Batoul Hania and their four Irish-born sons, Nourmohammed, Ahmed, Mazen, and Ismael arrived in Dublin late last year, however Mr Hania, an Irish citizen, was not permitted to leave.

The Irish embassy contacted the family and told them to travel to Rafah. They were all on the clearance list, except Mr Hania.

His successful crossing into Egypt follows months of campaigning from his family, who were in contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs in a bid to secure his release from the Gaza strip.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said he is “delightedc” that Mr Hania is being reunited with his wife and children in Ireland.

“Having met with his family, I know how arduous and worrying these past few months have been for them all,” Mr Martin said.

“Officials from the Department’s Consular Unit and our Embassies in the region maintained constant contact with Mr Hania throughout.

“There is a number of Irish citizens and their dependants remaining in Gaza, and my Department continues to advocate on their behalf. We stand ready to provide support where possible.

“To date, we have provided assistance to over 100 Irish citizens and dependents to exit Gaza.”

Mr Hania had previously said he felt “abandoned” by the Irish authorities after appeals for help to leave Gaza went unanswered.

“My dad was so angry and asked why this happened. He spoke to the Department of Foreign Affairs and we were told that the Israeli authorities had him on the red list,” his son Mazen previously said.

“My dad did his masters in journalism in DCU (Dublin City University), and he worked as a lecturer at the University of Palestine but his salary was not good. He resigned and worked as a translator and translates essays and reports.

“I don’t know why he is on the blacklist. Since October, he contacted press in Ireland as well as Al Jazeera. He filmed himself talking about the situation and recorded some videos,” he added.

At least 34,596 Palestinians have been killed and 77,816 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. This followed a cross-border assault on Israel which saw more than 1,200 civilians killed and more than 200 kidnapped.

The cost of rebuilding Gaza will total as much as €36bn and require an effort on a scale the world has not seen since World War II due “unprecedented levels of human losses, capital destruction”, according to the United Nations today.

Mr Hania is expected to arrive in Dublin tomorrow.

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