‘I was afraid of getting killed’ – emotional scenes at Dublin Airport as Irish-Palestinians arrive from Gaza and reunite with family

Families shared embraces they feared may never come. There were as many smiles and laughs as there were tears of joy. Those who made it to Ireland were overjoyed to be safe but heartbroken for the family still left in Gaza.

It’s far from unusual for loved ones to be emotionally brought back together at the airport arrival gate, but there was a special anticipation that built in Dublin Airport as a crowd gathered.

Young children planted themselves right at the barriers, waving Palestinian flags and giddy with anticipation. Many people wore traditional black and white Palestinian keffiyeh scarves, some with words like “Free Gaza” stitched on them.

Chants of “Free Palestine” echoed through Terminal 1 as that long, painful wait finally drew to a close. 42 days after war broke out between Israel and Hamas, and some Irish citizens have now made it to safety.

21-year-old Saeed Sadeq was among those reunited with his family today in Dublin. The Bohola, Co Mayo native was met at the gate by his mother Jihan, brother Nidal and cousin Asil.

“I was afraid of getting killed, murdered by an Israeli airstrike. After being home now to Ireland I feel safe, I feel now I will be able to continue to live my life like a normal person.

“For 40 days I lived in Gaza. We had no electricity, no water, no supplies. It was a disaster,” he said.

Mr Sadeq said his first plan for when he returns to Mayo is to see a therapist and speak about the things he has seen since violence escalated in Gaza on October 7.

“I think I have to talk to a proper person who can understand me. I need to forget all of what I have seen in Gaza. I saw dead bodies everywhere, airstrikes everywhere. It was a disaster.”

He said the people in Gaza saw the pro-Palestine demonstrations and protests carried out in Ireland, but he worried he would not be able to leave while he watched people from the US, Germany and other countries depart the war-torn region before him.

Mr Sadeq was told on Wednesday by the Department of Foreign Affairs he would be leaving Gaza. He was told to prepare himself and try to get to the border as soon as possible on just six-hours notice.

“It was tough because there’s cars, but there’s no fuel to drive the cars. I was walking down the streets for two hours looking for a ride to get to the Rafah Crossing.

“Finally a guy came to me and said ‘where are you going?’, I told him the Rafah Crossing and he said ‘come on, I’ll take you.’”

He spoke of his heartbreak leaving behind the rest of his family in Gaza while he is now safely back in Ireland.

“I feel so sorry to the people who I love and care about. They’re only guilty of being Palestinians and they don’t have foreign passports.

“So they will stay in Gaza, they will not get evacuated from Gaza and I don’t know in the future if I’m going to be able see them again.

“I’m lucky, I’m happy. But at the same time I feel so sorry for them,” he said.

Mr Sadeq’s cousin Asil said she was “overwhelmed” with emotion after being reunited with her cousin.

“I’m over the moon. We knew that he was out two days ago but we couldn’t believe it until we saw him coming out of the gates. We’re so shocked but happy shocked.

“It was very stressful. We were in constant contact with him on a daily basis. It was heartbreaking because every time we spoke to him, it felt like the last time.

“It was devastating every time we talked to him, the happy boy. Saeed in Arabic means ‘happy’. So he’s a happy boy, and the happy boy is talking about death, the happy boy is expecting his death. The happy boy is only wondering how much left of his life there is to live,” she said.

She said the family has not slept properly since hearing the news Mr Sadeq was on the list of people being allowed to leave Gaza via the Rafah Crossing.

“We did not believe it until we actually saw him. Waiting here we saw other families as well, we all know each other and we all supported each other. We all spoke about how devastating it is, how heartbreaking it is.

“We all lost people, we all lost houses. But at the same time, the mixed feelings. You’re so happy. You cannot describe how heartbroken you are, but you cannot describe how happy you are to be welcoming them here.”

Ibrahim Alagha, who has been providing updates from Gaza while he, his wife and their three children hoped to be allowed to leave, was also among those who arrived in Dublin today.

He was all smiles as he hugged and embraced his family, as solid as he had been in those video updates sent from Gaza.

Then as he embraced his mother Marwa, he broke into tears, as if the last 42 days caught up with him all at once.

Meanwhile, thousands of people took to the streets of Dublin today to stand in solidarity with Palestine.

Mr Alagha headed straight from the airport to the city centre where he joined in the protest, calling for a ceasefire and for the Government to put tougher sanctions on the Israeli state.

The protest, organised by Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign group, started around lunchtime, marching from Parnell Square to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Crowds carried Palestinian flags and banners as the thousands weaved through the city chanting “free Palestine”.