Topics covered : Life in Gaza, living under occupation, murder, grief, trauma, injustice.

I am revisiting this conversation as the incredible Hala Sourani was honoured at the Shine Mental Health Media Awards today in Dublin.

She won the Special Recognition award for th​is podcast and ​everyone in the room w​ere on their feet ​for her.

A truly deserving standing ovation for her courage, her dignity and her truth.

This conversation was my last of 2024 and yet heartbreakingly, a year on, Gaza is still being attacked.

(Her mother and her sister and her children are still in Gaza.)

In October 2023, Hala was married to Mohammad and they had 2 girls, Shahd who was 6 and Rahaf who was 5 and they lived in Gaza.

In November of that year, they tried to flee but, in the process, both Mohammad and Rahaf were murdered by Israelis.

As you can imagine, this is a harrowing account of that time so please be aware before you listen but I really hope you do stay with this conversation as intense as it is and that you allow yourself to connect with Hala and the pain and injustice that she and so many have been, and continue to be, subjected to.

She came to Ireland with her daughter Shahd in February​ 2024 and has been working as a volunteer here and remarkably she completed a MBA ​that year too.

I wish we never had to have this conversation.

I wish she was still in Gaza with her husband and girls, but that is unfortunately not the case.

This is without a doubt one of the most important conversations I’ve ever had on Ready to be Real and I am honoured that she trusted me with it.

She’s not comfortable speaking about the Go Fund Me that has been set up to help her but I’m going to ask you to please consider donating what you can so that she and her daughter can try and rebuild their lives here in Ireland.

They need and deserve our support. Any and all donations would be gratefully received.

Fundraiser by Sarah Costello : Urgent Help For Halla & Chahd (Gazans in Ireland)

Go raibh mile maith agaibh.

A special word of thanks to the wonderful Kate O’Dwyer, the founder of 'Pals for Palestine' for all her help in connecting Hala and I and for all her love and guidance behind the scenes.

Saoirse don Phailistín.

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