Gaza students with overseas university offers, scholarships remain trapped

Electricity was scarce and the bombs kept falling, but each evening, Mahmoud Aldaya left his family’s tent in a displacement camp in southern Gaza, in search of enough internet signal to submit his assignments.

Much of his university work was done remotely because Israel’s genocide had devastated Gaza’s higher education system. Despite the conditions, the 24-year-old finished at the top of his class at Gaza University.

With little prospect of continuing his education in Gaza, Aldaya looked abroad. He secured a scholarship at the University of Limerick in Ireland, which issued a letter supporting his application to leave the enclave.

But the academic year has begun without him. In August, the Irish government refused his visa. He now remains in Gaza City, where an Israeli drone attack last week killed at least three people, including two children, and wounded eight others.

“Receiving an unconditional offer and scholarship was a lifeline,” Aldaya told Al Jazeera. “Missing this window leaves me exposed to daily military bombardment and the risk that border crossings could shut indefinitely.

“Gaza has no safe zones. Remaining here is an everyday risk to life.”

He is one of dozens of Palestinian students who have secured places at Irish universities but have been refused permission to enter the country. Figures from Ireland’s Department of Justice show that, up to August 21, 103 Palestinian long-stay study visa applications had been refused this year, while just 39 visas were issued – an approval rate of 27.5 percent among decisions made. In 2025, that figure was 83.8 percent.

Some of those affected had already secured university places, scholarships and raised thousands of euros towards their education and evacuation. But students and their lawyers say they are being caught by immigration requirements that can be extraordinarily difficult to satisfy from inside Gaza, from producing certified bank statements and educational records to demonstrating sufficient finances and explaining gaps in their studies during the war.