When war closed in on Gaza, Malacha faced an impossible choice. She had been offered a PhD place in England, a dream opportunity, but the British government made no provision for her family. Leaving them behind under bombardment was unthinkable.

“I wasn’t going to abandon my family. Education means nothing if you lose the people you love,” she explained.

Britain’s failure to act left her stranded. The offer was symbolic, but hollow. Without safe passage, it was inaccessible.

Ireland, however, chose compassion. In September 2025, the Irish government evacuated 52 Palestinian students and their families, including Malacha. For her, the difference was life-changing. “Ireland gave me more than a scholarship. They gave me safety, dignity, and hope.”

Now studying politics at Trinity College Dublin, Malacha is determined to use her education to challenge the structures of oppression she has lived through. “Politics is not abstract for me. It is survival. It is about who lives and who dies.”

Her story is also a feminist one. Women in Gaza face compounded vulnerabilities, violence, displacement, and systemic neglect. Malacha’s refusal to leave her family reflects a feminist ethic of care, challenging the individualistic model of academic success.

Britain’s indifference exposed the emptiness of performative solidarity. Ireland’s intervention showed what practical, feminist-informed policy can achieve.

For every Malacha who makes it out, countless others remain trapped. Her journey is a reminder that education is inseparable from safety and dignity, and that governments must choose humanity over neglect.