Syrian refugees say they are homeless after resettlement flights to Ireland from Lebanon cancelled
Syrian refugees due to fly to Ireland from Lebanon this week under a resettlement scheme say they have been left homeless and terrified after their flights were cancelled due to the Israel-Iran attacks.
'This flight was like a lottery ticket for us in order to start a new life,' said Delivan Hassan Mohammed (37), who was due to leave on Thursday with her husband and 14-year-old daughter.
She said they were given the travel information one month ago under a resettlement scheme that has already been beset by lengthy delays.
'We were looking forward to leaving but we were disappointed. I already left my house, left my job, sold everything,' she said.
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'All we want to know is a date so we can plan our life and put things in motion so we can survive until we can be taken outside this country.'
Another man, who did not want to be named, said everyone started crying when they were informed about the cancellation. He was due to travel with his children and wife.
'Everything we owned, we sold it. We bought clothes for travelling and now we're left without money, without jobs, without a home ... We gave up everything because of the journey,' he said.
His wife said her daughters were terrified by bombings during the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon last year.
'They don't want to be in Lebanon or Syria; they feel unsafe in all of them. They had the hope of leaving this area. They wanted to escape and today was their last glimpse of hope,' she said.
Like others, she is terrified that the war between Israel and Iran will spread.
Missiles have been visible in the night sky from Lebanon since last Friday, when the Israeli attacks on Iran began and Iran started retaliating.
'We want to leave as soon as possible. We feel like nobody is helping us,' the woman said.
The Department of Justice, which is responsible for the refugee resettlement programme, did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did the International Organisation for Migration, which organises the travel.
The Irish Times understands that 26 Syrians were due to travel on Thursday.
About 375 Syrian refugees were chosen for resettlement following an Irish delegation's visit to Lebanon in November 2022, including 185 who were under the age of 18 at the time.
They were given a document saying they could expect to travel by the end of 2023, but many are now waiting more than 2½ years.
'It is a very difficult situation,' said Rudy Haider Sharaf, who still has no idea when he will travel with his wife and three children.
'I am afraid of war. My children are very afraid.'
The family were displaced by bombing in Lebanon last year. Despite a ceasefire last November, Israel continues to carry out regular air strikes in south Lebanon where they live.
Another Syrian woman, who is also waiting to travel with her family, said they were 'living in fear and disappointment with the ongoing delays and postponements as we wait for our flight to Ireland to be scheduled.
'Life has come to a complete standstill for us,' she said.
One three-year-old
girl, who was among those waiting, died last year. Her father – who lived for a long time in a tent in northern Lebanon with his wife and children – said he believes she might have survived if she had access to proper medical care.
'I made every effort to treat her or travel with her to your country, but death was faster,' said Zuhair Al-Ashqar, who has since reached Ireland with his wife and young son.
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