Bashir is married with two young sons aged 7 and 9. Before the war Bashir had supported his family with a decade long career as a web & mobile app designer and developer for humanitarian organisations. He had applied for postgraduate courses overseas and was hoping to improve his career prospects and provide a better future for his family. 

On October 7 2023 their lives changed irrevocably.

At the outbreak of the war their neighbourhood was bombarded. They had to flee immediately, taking nothing with them.

For the following month they slept in the open at Al-Shifa Medical Complex, without shelter or blankets. When the maternity ward there came under attack, they fled again. They walked over 20 kilometres to the south of Gaza City, where they secured a tent & spent their days searching for food and queueing for the bathroom. During this time they learned that their home had been completely destroyed. All of their family memories of home were gone, as were their possessions including Bashir’s laptop – which held all the ideas, plans and projects of his professional life.

Despite all of this, Bashir has managed to obtain an offer for a Masters degree in Digital Innovation at University College Dublin, starting in August 2026. He has remained resolute about this goal, even when the family had to move yet again after the Israeli offensive on Gaza City. He sees this as a lifeline; possibly his only chance to rebuild his family’s life and enable his children to flourish.

We are humbled by his resilience and his determination to build a future for his children.