Gaza Family Forced to Relocate 100km from Dublin Due to Housing Crisis
A Gaza family, the Walis, evacuated by the Red Cross, were forced to move over 100km from Dublin due to the housing crisis. Their son, Amir, has severe haemophilia requiring weekly Dublin hospital visits, complicating his UCD scholarship. The Red Cross and Department of Health cited a lack of affordable Dublin housing for the relocation.
A family evacuated from Gaza by the Red Cross, Fatma and Saber Wali and their five children, were forced to move over 100km from Dublin to Kilkenny due to a lack of affordable housing in the capital. They had resided in Red Cross-sourced accommodation at the Caritas centre on Merrion Road for over a year, rebuilding lives after Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
The family expressed urgent concerns about the relocation’s impact on medical, psychological, educational, and practical grounds. Their 22-year-old son, Amir, has severe haemophilia and debilitating joint issues, requiring weekly treatment at St James’s Hospital in Dublin. He cannot use public transport, and his mother fears his condition will worsen. The move also affects the psychological stability and educational continuity of his teenage siblings, Yousef and Lina, given their war trauma.
Amir, who arrived in Ireland physically and mentally exhausted, has been awarded a UCD scholarship and is set to start a degree in September. His mother views this as a crucial step towards independence and integration in Ireland, now complicated by the move. The Red Cross, which supported 27 children and families under the Gaza Medevac Programme, stated that initial Dublin accommodation was temporary for health assessments, and subsequent moves outside the capital were due to limited affordable options.
The Red Cross will support the Wali family with transport for medical appointments in Dublin during the transition. The Department of Health acknowledged families’ preference for Dublin but confirmed that extensive searches failed to identify suitable longer-term accommodation in the city, adding that the relocation was clinically informed with support measures in place.