Kilkenny-based woman appeals to government to get back family and fiancé back to Ireland from Lebanon

A Kilkenny-based woman has called on the Irish government to help in her evacuation from Beirut and for consular assistance so she can bring her Lebanese fiancé with her to Ireland.

Gadier Zabad, who fled to Ireland from Lebanon during war in 2006, told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland on Tuesday that she felt her life was in danger “every second” of the past 24 hours.

Her father, Munier, explained how the family had fled the village they were staying at in the mountains when the Israeli bombing commenced.

The family had travelled to south Lebanon two weeks ago for the funeral of his father who died two months ago in Ireland. They were also celebrating his daughter Gadir’s engagement party.

The situation was overwhelming, he said. The journey to Beirut had been dangerous and stressful with traffic accidents happening frequently as people were driving quickly trying to get away. “It's just complete chaos.”

Since arriving in Beirut, he learned that an uncle had been killed when his house was bombed.

Gadier added that the flight they had hoped to take on Monday was cancelled, so they were now calling on the Irish government to help them to get home to Kilkenny.

“They sent an email saying that the flight was cancelled and that we could take another flight over the coming days. I checked the flight situation for the next few days, and there is none available whatsoever.

“I'm calling on the Irish government to help get my family and my fiancé out of Lebanon.”

Ms Zabad acknowledged that her fiancé was a Lebanese citizen, but pointed out that she and her younger brother had fled to Ireland in 2006 so she hoped he could do the same.

The dilemma was that she did not want to leave her fiancé behind and if she stayed her father would feel compelled to do likewise, and she did not want to put her family in danger.

Kilkenny based Guy Jones of the Irish Lebanese Cultural Foundation’s concerned the situation in Lebanon is poised for further loss of life, and told KCLR that there thousands fleeing the southern region of the country.

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