October 21, 2023: Foreign citizens look at the Rafah crossing as they wait to be allowed to travel on in Rafah, Gaza. Getty
An Irish-Palestinian man who has been trapped in Rafah in Gaza for months is finally set to return to Ireland over the weekend.
Zak Hania, who moved to Ireland in 1998 to work as a translator, returned to Gaza about a decade ago where he lived with his wife Batoul and their four Irish-born sons Mazen, Ismael, Ahmed, and Nour.
Batoul and the four boys left Gaza via the Rafah crossing last November, but Hania was not included on a list of Irish citizens with clearance to leave Gaza through the crossing.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said at the time that it was aware of Hania's case and providing consular assistance, but the Irish Times reported that Irish authorities had informed him that they were unable to assist him in his efforts to leave Gaza.
However, Batoul told RTÉ News that her husband has now crossed into Egypt and is expected to arrive in Dublin tomorrow.
Batoul previously described her family's journey from Gaza City to Rafah Crossing and spoke of the heartbreak of leaving her husband behind.
"It was heartbreaking. Not just saying goodbye, saying farewell to somebody, you are in extraordinary conditions. You are leaving somebody in danger," Batoul told RTÉ News.
Speaking to RTÉ before Christmas, Hania spoke of escalating bombardment near his house in Khan Younis and described the situation as "very, very, very dangerous".
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that a number of Irish citizens and dependents crossed into Egypt from Gaza earlier in the week.
The Department said the Irish Embassy in Cairo is in contact with the citizens and is providing assistance and support.
The Department added that it has assisted more than 100 Irish citizens and dependents leave Gaza since the outbreak of the conflict, adding that a "small number of Irish citizens or immediate dependants of Irish citizens" remain in Gaza.