Father appeals for safe passage of children after wife killed in Gaza

Khalid El-Estal

Khalid El-Estal returned to Ireland after his wife and other family members were killed in Gaza

By Ross McKee
BBC News NI

A Belfast-born man whose wife and other family members were killed in Gaza has said there is no safe passage for his children who remain there.

Khalid El-Estal said he was working in Saudi Arabia while his family stayed in the Palestinian territory.

His children - four-year-old Ali and one-year-old Sara - are in Gaza with their grandparents.

He said he was working to find a way out for them so he can bring them to Belfast.

Sinn Féin TD Chris Andrews said he would be raising Mr El-Estal's case with the Irish government.

Gaza has been bombed by Israel as part of its conflict with Hamas.

Mr El-Estal, 30, returned to Ireland after his wife, Ashwak Jendia, was killed along with his mother, brother, uncle and two cousins.

Gaza-Israel: 'My son has been crying for his mamma'

Israel began bombing Gaza after Hamas, which is a designated terrorist group according to the UK and the US, killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 200 others.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said more than 10,000 people had been killed in the territory since 7 October.

On Monday, Mr El-Estal told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster the killing of his family members was "the worst nightmare you can ever have".

He said he fears for his children's lives without assistance from the Irish authorities.

"We are hoping for many things, they are working on the documents to take them out," he said.

"There are lists for the Rafah crossing border, people who can leave.

"That's one problem, the second problem is I told my father-in-law and my brothers-in-law that I want the children out.

"They were afraid to take them, it is dangerous.

"There is no safe passage, it is not safe."

Khalid El-Estal

Mr El-Estal's wife Ashwak Jendia, pictured with their children Ali and Sara, was killed by Israeli bombing

Mr El-Estal, who is currently in Belfast, said he would like to bring his children here.

"I was growing up here. I have a lot of memories here," he added.

"I was all the time telling her [Ashwak] about Belfast. All the time seeing these beautiful views... there's nothing like this in Gaza. It was our dream to be here together."

Mr Andrews said Mr El-Estal was in a "terrible position" and it was important that, as an Irish citizen, his children get "safe passage" and are reunited with him.

"I think that it is important he has the trauma support, counselling support and I will certainly be looking to raise this, and I know other members of the Dáil (lower house of Irish Parliament) will be looking to do the same with the Tánaiste.

"Ultimately it is about ensuring that there is access out of Gaza for people like Khalid's family and that seems to be the big stumbling block at the moment, there is no movement, there are no Irish citizens being allowed out yet.

"That's what we have to push for and the Tánaiste Micheál Martin and the government have to push for that."

Mr El-Estal was born in Belfast and attended primary school in the Botanic area while his father worked as a lecturer at Queen's University.

When he was aged eight, the family relocated to Gaza, where Khalid met his wife, Ashwak Jendia, at university.

Khalid El-Estal

Khalid El-Estal met Ashwak Jendia at university

As violence in the region escalated last month, Mr El-Estal said he urged his wife to move south and stay with his relatives, while he contacted Irish officials to seek help.

"The exact day she [arrived] in my family's place they bombed the place," Mr El-Estal said.

The bomb killed his mother and brother "immediately", he added.

He added that his uncle, and his uncle's two daughters - both doctors - were also killed in the blast, and both of Khalid's children were buried in rubble.

Ashwak was taken to hospital, eventually dying from her injuries, which included 60% burns to her body, he said.

"It's killing me," he said. "I lost everything, it's not only me, I am better (off) than a lot of people in Gaza," Mr El-Estal said.

In a previous statement, an Irish Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said more than 8,000 foreign and dual nationals are in Gaza.

This includes thousands of dependent children who are entitled to dual citizenship in various countries.

However, the spokesperson said evacuations will take some time to complete.

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