Former York student and family ‘perilously’ trapped in Gaza with no food or shelter

The family of Fadi Hania are said to be in a ‘desperate situation’

9 months ago

A York alumnus and his family are trapped in a tent in Gazan city of Rafah as his family desperately tries to get permission to cross into Egypt.

Fadi Hania and his wife are trapped their five children, Osama, 13, Yousef, 11, Omar, eight years old, Abdelrahman, four years old, and three-year-old Khadija.

Yousef was actually born in York Hospital in 2012 when his father, now a web developer and IT teacher, was studying for a Master’s degree in computing at the University of York, as reported by The York Press.

Adnan Ramzan, a family friend and a British civil servant, who got to know Fadi when both were studying in York, said the family are in a desperate situation and have been through “unimaginable hardships”.

“Their home was destroyed, and they have been struggling to find shelter, food, and safety,” he said.

“The severity of their circumstances cannot be overstated and with each passing day, their situation grows increasingly perilous.”

The family, originally from Gaza City, were displaced when Israel invaded Gaza in response to the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7th, in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 hostages seized.

During the conflict Hania family moved first to Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza strip. Five weeks ago they then moved to a tent in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where more than half of the people within this besieged territory are now seeking refuge.

Gaza’s health ministry claims that an Israeli air strike on Saturday struck tents outside the Emirati hospital in Rafah, killing 11 people and injuring about 50, including health workers, Gaza’s health ministry said.

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On Sunday morning Adnan said that Fadi had travelled to Alqarara near Khan Youinis, where his nephew and niece had both been killed in a bombing at 6.30am on Sunday.

Adnan said: “He has tried to make his way there to try to bring back his brother and his brother’s wife.”

John Bibby, a retired University of York maths professor, knew the family when they lived in York. John said: “He (Yousef) was born at York Hospital. I remember the mother saying how impressed they were by the way they were treated.”

After graduating, Fadi became a web designer and teacher. He has worked regularly for ALGOSUP, a French international software development school in Vierzon, France. ALGOSUP has now written to the Egyptian embassy in France, urging them to allow the Hania family to cross the border into Egypt.

Adnan is also urging people to email the Egyptian embassy in France at [email protected] to plead the family’s case.

In his own email to the Egyptian embassy in France, he said: “I implore you to please think of their sake and accept Mr. Fadi Hania’s application to be granted permission for entry into Egypt from the Gaza Strip immediately.”

According to Asnan an Egyptian university teacher has offered to host the Hania family in Egypt until they can get a French visa so they can travel to France and Fadi can continue teaching at ALGOSUP.

Franck Jeannin, the co-founder of ALGOSUP, has set up a GoFundMe page to raise € 50,000 to pay for the family’s visas.

Franck says, in a message on the page: “Fadi has been a regular teacher at the school, first remotely due to COVID and then on site.

“Our students love him. Fadi is not only very good at what he does (programming), he is also an exceptional teacher.

“Help us collect the money needed to buy visas to Egypt for Fadi, his children and wife.

“Recently they spent several nights in the rain, cold and mud. With 300 civilian deaths every day, it’s only a matter of time before they get seriously injured or worse.”

Gaza’s health ministry says the Palestinian death toll from the war has now reached 30,320.

Featured image via Fadi Hania on Linkedin.