The children of a Belfast-born Palestinian who fled the war in Gaza have visited the city for the first time.
Ali (4) and Sara (1) accompanied their father Khalid El-Astal to an event organised by the Glór na Móna Irish-language community group in west Belfast.
Khalid (30) had been working in Saudi Arabia when the October 7 Hamas attacks took place.
An Irish citizen, Khalid travelled to Ireland in the hope his young family in Gaza could follow.
His wife Ashwak was tragically killed and it remained uncertain if their children Ali (4) and Sara (1) could escape the fighting.
With the help of US lawyer Fred Rooney and the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, Khalid was reunited with his children at Dublin Airport and they have since built a new life together in Dublin.
Still on his mind are those still in Gaza, his father Ali (60) – a former researcher at Queen’s University Belfast – brothers Abdullah (21) and Abdul Rahman (25), as well as his close friend Refaat-Abu Shab (29), who lost his wife and children the same age as Khalid’s.
Khalid is a regular visitor to the Glór na Móna and brought Ali and Sara with him for an event on Tuesday.
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“I am beyond grateful to the Irish government and to Attorney Fred Rooney for helping me secure the safe passage of my children from the Gaza Strip after my wife/their mother was killed in Gaza,” he said.
" I am particularly grateful to Glór na Móna for all the love and support its members have given me since my return to Belfast after two decades several months ago.
“The organisation has given me a second home in the city of my birth, and for that, I’ll be forever grateful.
“I’m certain that my wife Ashwak will be looking down from heaven, knowing her two angels are safe, cared for, and far from the death and destruction of her beloved Gaza.”
Eoghan Ó Garmaile from Glór na Móna said he was delighted to welcome the family to a community lunch as part of Féile na gCloigíní Gorma, the Bluebell Festival.
“The watchwords of the Féile are ‘Community, Solidarity, and Wellbeing’, which very much echo the monumental efforts of many people whose commitment and ingenuity ensured the safe passage of Khalid’s children from Gaza.”
Mr Rooney, returning to Belfast for the third time in five months, added: “It is the admirable work Glór na Móna undertakes to ensure the health and well-being of the local community and the love it has given Khalid and his family that brings me back to Belfast.
“My hope is that I’ll be able to collaborate with the Glór na Móna community, bring friends, colleagues and family to Belfast, and watch Ali and Sara grow up in my ancestral homeland.
“Lastly, we’ll do whatever needs to be done to convince the Irish government to secure the release of two Irish citizens and Khalid’s father so that the family can finally be reunited in a place of peace and coexistence.”
