Ireland

Wife of Irish citizen trapped in Gaza says his life is in Tánaiste’s hands

Statement on behalf of Zak Hania’s wife Batoul read to a group of 100 protesters during demonstration at US embassy

The protest at the US embassy in Dublin on Thursday. Photograph: Alan Betson

Colin Gleeson
Thu Mar 14 2024 - 20:36

The wife of Irish-Palestinian man Zak Hania, who remains trapped in Gaza, has criticised the efforts of the Government to secure his evacuation, and said his life is now in the hands of Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin.

A statement on behalf of Mr Hania’s wife Batoul was read to a group of about 100 protesters during a demonstration organised by the Ireland Alliance for Palestine at the US embassy in Dublin on Thursday.

The demonstration was organised in protest at Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s planned visit to the White House on St Patrick’s Day.

“We say at this time that the traditional shamrock presentation to the US president should not occur,” the group said.

READ MORE

A number of other groups also attended the demonstration including the Irish Anti-War Movement and Mothers Against Genocide. Many protesters accused US president Joe Biden of “killing children” and facilitating genocide.

Images of shamrocks and handprint paintings displaying the names of children who have been killed in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories were on display.

Freda Hughes, former chairwoman of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said Mr Hania’s wife Batoul “would have liked to be here today”, but was instead focused on processing the trauma of recent months.

Mr Hania, a researcher and translator, moved to Ireland in 1998, and lived in Castleknock, west Dublin for a period. He returned to Gaza about a decade ago. He has been trapped in Rafah since late last year when his wife and four children were evacuated to Ireland.

“Today, I am reading a statement on behalf of my friend Batoul,” said Ms Hughes.

“I am here to question the justice of Irish politicians,” the statement said. “I want to question Micheál Martin about my husband’s destiny.

“Yes, Zak’s life is in the hands of Minister Micheál Martin. It’s more than four months now since Zak contacted the Irish embassies in both Cairo and Ramallah appealing for safe leave for our family to come to Ireland.

“It is more than four months since the Department of Foreign Affairs started trying to get my husband out. And what happened? Nothing. We got out, but Zak is still stuck there suffering the fear of being killed at any moment.

“He is now in Rafah where more than 2 million people are squeezed in suffering from a shortage of drinking water, medication, and food. Zak lacks the hypertension medication that he requires. He feels abandoned and neglected.

“I want to ask Micheál Martin, keeping in mind all his efforts to get Zak back, and respecting what he has done so far, that if he was a citizen of Irish origin, would that make a difference to you?

“Would that motivate you to fight more and to fight harder? If Zak was your own son, a brother, a family member, would that provoke you to save his life, because that’s what this is about now.”

She added that she was “grateful for the solidarity of Irish people, and in a way for the Irish Government for standing for their rights more than some countries have done.

“But the thing is, we are Zak’s family,” she said. “We cannot stand the injustice of what is happening. We are sure that the Government and the Department of Foreign Affairs can put more pressure on Israel to let Zak out of Gaza.”

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson

Colin Gleeson is an Irish Times reporter

LATEST STORIES