DUBLIN – Malak Alsweirki, a 20-year-old student from Gaza, has spoken of the profound “survivor’s guilt” she feels after being evacuated to Ireland to pursue her academic studies. While she was offered places at prestigious universities like Trinity College, Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale, the happiness she expected to feel upon her arrival has been replaced by a constant sense of guilt.
Malak arrived in Ireland three weeks ago as part of an evacuation of over 70 students from Gaza, an operation coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and supported by 11 Irish universities. Ireland has been at the forefront of managing these complex and sensitive evacuations, which have proven to be a lifeline for students like Malak, who found the process of evacuation to other countries like the UK to be too uncertain.
“I’m really astounded by the amount of feelings I have. I only thought I would feel happiness but I’m going through the extreme opposite unfortunately,” she said. The guilt, she explained, is ever-present. “When I eat, when I feel safe, being able to buy clothes and shoes, feeling warm, having a room to live in. I feel guilty 24/7 because my family now lives in a tent.”
Malak, who is currently undertaking a foundation course at Trinity College, shared the harrowing story of her family’s displacement. They were forced to flee their home in the Al Toffah neighborhood of Gaza City, a place once known for its orchards, which has since been completely wiped out and cleared by Israeli forces to become a “buffer zone.”
She also recounted the traumatic experience of witnessing her parents, both a university professor and a teacher, being shot by Israeli soldiers outside Al Azahar University in December 2023. Her father was shot in the leg and her mother in the waist.
Just as Malak was making her way out of Gaza, her family was forced to join thousands of other Palestinians fleeing Gaza City as Israeli tanks moved in. They are now living in a tent, a stark contrast to Malak’s new life in a warm room in Dublin. Her daily attempts to contact them are often thwarted by a lack of internet access, leading to panic and anxiety.
Malak considers herself one of the “few lucky people” of her generation, noting that many of her friends who had dreams of becoming doctors or lawyers have lost their entire families and are now alone in Gaza.
Cambridge University representatives have since traveled to Dublin to meet with and offer support to Malak and other students, and expressed gratitude to Trinity College Dublin for their tireless efforts in facilitating the evacuation.
