The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. On Tuesday of this week, I received a very worrying email from a young man called Ahmed Abuhassan. I am here to ask the Minister for justice, in particular, for one thing, namely, a decision on Ahmed's file before 2 November.

Ahmed is 22. In October 2023, an airstrike brought his family's home in Gaza city down on top of him. He was pulled out of the rubble and spent nearly three years living in a tent in a displacement camp in the south. His university in Gaza was completely and utterly destroyed, so what did he do? He taught himself computing. He sat down and got stuck in and when he could get an internet connection, he reached out to academics at UCD and told them his story. They encouraged him to apply to UCD. He did so, on a borrowed laptop with a cracked screen, and won a place in computer science at University College Dublin with a full four-year scholarship sponsored by the university's foundation. Think about what it takes to do that from a tent in the middle of a genocide. This is the sort of student any university in this country would be proud to have.

Unfortunately, however, Ireland has refused him twice. In July, he was refused on grounds that included English proficiency, even though the university's documents in his file said the opposite. He appealed that. On 9 October, that appeal was refused on one ground only, a doubt about funding. Unfortunately, nobody asked him about that. Nobody asked UCD or the solicitors who have been working on his behalf. The very next day, the UCD Foundation put it in writing that it is his primary financial sponsor throughout his degree, so he has everything covered now. His solicitors sent that letter to the Department on the same night, asking for urgent reconsideration. That was 11 days ago and, unfortunately, there has been no answer.

The only reason that was given for refusing him has been answered by the university itself. There is nothing left to decide except whether the Department will act in time. UCD is going to hold his place but only until 2 November, which is the week after next. After that, his place is gone. It is absolutely heartbreaking. Today is the last day, as the Minister of State well knows, that this House will sit before that date. If the file sits on a desk until after 2 November, he will lose his place, not because of anything he did but because of a delay, and that is not a decision. It is a refusal by default.

Ahmed is not alone, as we all know. Earlier this year, dozens of students from Gaza holding scholarship places at Irish universities had their visas refused and some of them are still waiting, with the same deadline hanging over them. It is heartbreaking. They are young people who have done everything we have asked them to do. They have the places, they have the funding and they have the universities standing behind them. They want to work and to do the work in these universities.

In July, I said in this House that none of us will be free until the Palestinian people are free, and I really believe that. I still believe it with all my heart, and today I am asking something much smaller, a decision on one student's file in time for it to really make a difference in his life. Will the Minister for justice give a commitment that Ahmed Abuhassan's file will be decided before 2 November with the UCD Foundation's letter in front of the person deciding it, and will he ensure every other Gaza student whose file is still open will get a decision before that same date? Really I am here for Ahmed. I was talking to a family member this morning who said they would give him a place to stay if he gets here, so he has everything ready to go. I am asking the Minister of State to please give us a positive response.

I thank the Senator. The Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, thank her for raising this important matter. I am taking it on their behalf. Like the Members of this House, both the Minister and the Minister of State are deeply conscious of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the profound impact it continues to have on ordinary people, especially young people, whose education and future prospects have been severely disrupted. The Government remains committed to supporting the Palestinian people and the Department continues to work closely with colleagues across government in responding to issues arising from the situation in Gaza.

The Government recognises the concerns raised by the Senator regarding students from Gaza who have secured scholarship places at Irish higher education institutions and are awaiting visa decisions or appeal outcomes. The Government also understands the concern that some of these students may face enrolment deadlines in the coming weeks and that uncertainty regarding visa decisions can create difficulties both for the students concerned and for the institutions involved.

The Senator has specifically asked about outstanding decisions and reviews. While the Minister and the Minister of State are not in a position to comment on the circumstances of individual applications or appeals, applications and appeals continue to be actively processed by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. Decisions are made through established legal processes and on the basis of the information and evidence available in each case. It would therefore not be appropriate for either the Minister or the Minister of State to comment further on individual applications or appeals.

The Government wishes to make clear that there has been no legal or policy change in relation to visa applications from Palestinian nationals. Palestinian nationals require a visa to travel to Ireland and applications for study visas are assessed under the same immigration framework and requirements that apply to all visa-required nationals seeking to study here. Every application and every appeal must be considered individually. Decisions are based on the information and supporting documentation provided, together with the particular circumstances of the applicant. Applications are considered on their own merits and in accordance with Ireland's immigration laws and established procedures. A scholarship offer or a confirmed university place is clearly a significant factor in any application. However, visa decisions must ultimately be made on the basis of the overall information available to the decision-maker and the applicable requirements of the immigration system. It is important that there is a fair and rules-based system for all applicants. Decisions must be made on the basis of the evidence provided and the legal framework that applies. That is how fairness and consistency are maintained across the immigration system. Officials in the Department's visa division remain in regular contact with the Embassy of Ireland in Tel Aviv regarding applications from residents of Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. Through that engagement, applications are progressed and any issues arising during processing can be addressed as quickly as possible.

In relation to higher education, more than 150 long-stay study visas have been granted to Palestinian nationals over the past 18 months. These figures demonstrate Palestinian nationals continue to avail of the existing legal immigration pathways to Ireland in order to pursue educational opportunities. Up to the end of September 2026, 55 appeals had been received in respect of study visa refusals involving Palestinian nationals. Four appeals have been decided, with three of those appeals resulting in a positive outcome for the applicants. Both the Minister and the Minister of State want to reassure the Senator the Department is very conscious of the practical implications of delays where university places may be dependent on enrolment deadlines. Officials continue to process applications and appeals as efficiently as possible and decisions will issue as soon as all relevant considerations have been examined.

The central point both Ministers wish to leave with the House is that there has been no change in policy towards Palestinian students seeking to study in Ireland. Applications and appeals continue to be actively processed and every effort is being made to ensure decisions are reached as quickly as possible while remaining fair, lawful and consistent with Ireland's immigration framework. As judicial review proceedings relating to study visa applications are before the courts, it would not be appropriate to comment further on those proceedings.

I am not really asking for a comment from the Department. I understand there cannot be comment on individual cases. What I am asking for today is a decision and a date. We are running out of time for Ahmed. He is a good young lad. He sat in a tent with his broken computer and sent off the application, and all the boxes have been ticked. There is absolutely no reason Ahmed cannot come now and study in Dublin.

There is no reason for it. There is a deadline now. There is a timeline. We will be on recess next week. What is going to happen in that week? Is it going to be parked and put in a file on somebody's desk? This young man's life is in our hands. A 14-year-old was killed coming home this week. Seven children have been killed this week. A 14-year-old was killed coming home from school. He lay dead on the ground for no reason. He was shot while coming home from school. Is that going to happen to Ahmed? We must do something.

Students want to come to Ireland to work, study and learn. They want to partake of our culture. I have met many students. Fifty-five students have applied. Why have only four got through? Is there something seriously wrong with the system? It is the least we can do at this time. I ask the Minister of State to bring this back to the Minister for foreign affairs and the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy. I am pleading for Ahmed's life. I ask the Minister of State to give him the opportunity he deserves.

I was in the Senator's position. I work with Dr. Richard Kimble in Galway, who was very passionate about bringing people in. He has worked extremely hard to bring in young Palestinian children who have been injured during the horrendous conflict in the Middle East. I have been in the Middle East. I have visited Lebanon. I was in Beirut and visited refugee camps at my own expense. I went over a number of years ago to see at first hand what is happening. When you go into refugee camps, you see the most beautiful elderly, middle-aged and young people who have been displaced not by their doing but by somebody else's doing.

We have brought in students. I have seen it in Galway. I have met and played soccer with them. I meet them regularly with Dr. Richard Kimble. I am not going to promise anything, but I will highlight the case to the Minister of State, Deputy Brophy, later today. I will ask him to look at the case. I hope the right outcome will follow. I will stress to the Minister of State the important and strong case that the Senator has made on behalf of Ahmed. I hope there might be a successful outcome. I cannot say. If all the documentation is right, I am sure his case will progress fairly quickly. Perhaps some documents are missing from the application. I am not in that Department. I acknowledge the tremendous and solid case that the Senator has made on behalf of Ahmed and I will bring that back to the Minister of State. I thank her sincerely. I am passionate about the Middle East and Palestinians. I have been there. I have seen that they are the most beautiful people. What is happening to them is horrendous.