A spate of rejections has raised fears that Ireland is restricting visas for students from Gaza.

As many as 20 student visas have been turned down by Irish immigration authorities ahead of the new university semester in September.

The students who were rejected had been granted non-state, fully funded, third-level scholarships in Irish universities after months of strenuous efforts to complete academic applications and examinations during a genocide.

Dozens of others are awaiting their visa application outcomes with trepidation. Only nine students, with state-funded scholarships, have been given visas.

Last year, 114 Palestinians worldwide were granted long-stay study visas to Ireland and just 22 were denied.

Since 2024, almost 90 Gaza students have been evacuated from the decimated coastal strip and welcomed into Irish Higher Education Institutes (HEIs).