Young Arigna man launches fundraising campaign for his friends in Gaza

In the midst of the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, which has killed over 22,000 Palestinians since October 7th, a young Roscommon man is seeking financial support for his friends to obtain expedited visas and escape to Egypt. 

Originally from Arigna in Co. Roscommon, Lorccan Duignan (25) went to school in Drumshanbo and has strong connections to Leitrim. He is walking 75 minutes a day around his neighbourhood in Dublin this month in support of his friends. 

Mr Duignan told the Leitrim Observer he was "aware of the complex effects" of the conflict as he kept regular contact with his friends, husband and wife Hala and Akram. His friends are now living in an abandoned garage after leaving northern Gaza due to the massive destruction. 

"The conditions are just awful…like the toilet they have and everything. It's just terrible. It's like a container they have to throw [faeces] out. They have to hand wash their clothes and are surrounded by cockroaches.

"There's a lot of crime going around, like people stealing food and that sort of thing. So it's kind of turned into a bit of anarchy there.

"I do worry. The Internet is quite limited there as well. Her home neighbourhood was destroyed. Most of Northern Gaza has been destroyed," he said. 

Inside of the garage where Lorccan Duignan’s friends are living at the moment 

Mr Duignan met Hala in 2021 when they studied Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at University College Dublin (UCD). Since then, they have become "such good friends."  

Hala returned to Gaza in the spring of 2023 and started to teach English mostly to young kids at the American International School in Gaza. 

"We maintained regular contact online ever since then, with the hope that someday we would be able to meet again. 

"Through these video calls, I also got to know her husband, Akram. Just like his wife, he has proven himself to be a good-natured person I now consider a close friend. 

"I just wanted to do something. I would go to protests and do solidarity things. But I can see this wasn't really making much of a difference in their lives. So I just wanted to do something that could directly help them," Mr Duignan said.

American International School in Gaza, where Hala worked as an English teacher.

He decided to create a GoFundMe page on December 21st, and to date it has raised over €2,647 with 107 donations. Its target of €14,000 in proceeds will cover the expenses to obtain expedited visas in Egypt. "The cost is around €7,000 per person," he explained. 

By mid-December, the United Nations-led aid consortium estimates over 22,000 people are now dead and more than 234,000 homes have been damaged, and up to 2 million people are now displaced in Gaza. 

"The healthcare system has completely collapsed. There is severely limited access to food, water, and electricity. Among those civilians facing this unprecedented nightmare are my friends.

"I can see how this incessant bombardment and humanitarian disaster is traumatising them and breaking their spirits.  

"Unfortunately, this has been their reality since the Nakba (lit 'Catastrophe') 75 years ago, when the State of Israel was founded. 

"With this in mind, the number 75 is symbolic and acts as a stark reminder that this conflict did not begin on October 7th," Mr Duignan said.

He started walking on January 1st, and over this month, he hopes to reach the fundraising goal. 

The '75 Minutes for 75 Years' walk campaign is set up on GoFundMe, and you can donate at https://gofund.me/f27bc751.