Amid scarce electricity and constant bombardment, Mahmoud Aldaya regularly left his family’s displacement camp tent in southern Gaza to find an internet signal capable of submitting his university assignments. Having graduated at the top of his class at Gaza University despite the destruction of the local higher education system, Aldaya secured a scholarship and an unconditional offer from the University of Limerick in Ireland. However, the Irish government refused his visa in August, leaving him trapped in Gaza City where an Israeli drone strike last week killed at least three people, including two children.
“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.”
Aldaya is among dozens of Palestinian students denied entry to Ireland. Data from Ireland’s Department of Justice indicates that as of August 21, 103 long-stay study visa applications from Palestinians were refused this year, with only 39 approved—an approval rate of 27.5 percent. This marks a stark decline from 2025, when the approval rate stood at 83.8 percent. Some affected students had already secured placements and scholarships while raising thousands of euros for evacuation, yet they remain blocked by stringent immigration criteria.
Students and their legal representatives argue that applicants are caught by requirements that are nearly impossible to satisfy inside Gaza. These include producing certified bank statements and educational records, demonstrating sufficient financial means, and explaining gaps in study caused by the war. The refusals are currently being challenged in the High Court by Phoenix Law, a human rights firm representing the students.
Another student, speaking anonymously out of fear of Israeli military reprisals, described being devastated after receiving a visa refusal for a master’s program. Despite securing a scholarship, her application was rejected over financial and documentation issues. Several students were required to prove access to at least 10,000 euros for annual support, in addition to tuition fees. Although this student has since raised additional funds with help from supporters in Ireland, she fears missing the September evacuation window. “Behind every visa application there is a real person, a real person with a life, a family, a future,” she said.
Refusal letters reviewed by Al Jazeera often cite insufficient evidence that applicants intend to return home after their studies. One student countered this by stating, “I want to return home to help rebuild the place I belong to.”
The crisis extends beyond Ireland. Across Europe and North America, hundreds of Palestinian students with university offers are facing visa refusals and bureaucratic hurdles as the academic year begins. A major obstacle is providing proof of funds; applicants typically need six months of bank statements, which must be authenticated by the bank if originals are unavailable. In Gaza, where the banking system has been largely obliterated, obtaining such certified documents is extremely difficult.
Further complicating matters, Irish authorities require appeals to be submitted by post with original supporting documents, despite the absence of an internationally recognized postal service in Gaza. Students are also facing scrutiny over educational gaps after nearly three years of war, during which approximately 97 percent of Gaza’s school buildings were damaged or destroyed by November 2025, according to the United Nations.
In Canada, the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network reports that more than 130 Palestinian graduate students with scholarships or stipends have experienced delays due to biometric requirements. Before the war, travel outside Gaza for fingerprinting was feasible, but it is now nearly impossible. Meanwhile, the United States has stopped issuing almost all visas to individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued or endorsed documents since January 1, with limited exceptions.
Other European nations face similar challenges. Belgium reported in September that 13 Palestinian students with scholarships and visas remain trapped in Gaza. Italy evacuated 72 university students in May through its “university corridors” program, bringing the total number of evacuees since September 2025 to 229. However, L’Espresso reported in late August that the centrally coordinated Italian Universities for Palestinian Students (IUPALS) framework is no longer active, forcing individual universities to seek their own funding from departments or private donors to cover costs for arriving students.
How can they expect certified bank statements from a destroyed banking system? This feels like a deliberate policy choice rather than just red tape.
It’s heartbreaking that bureaucratic hurdles are blocking students from escaping active war zones. These requirements are impossible to meet in Gaza.