We are the Muslim Students' Association of Trinity College Dublin. As the representative and communal body of Muslims on campus, charity and charitable efforts are the centre of everything we do.

Hafez Al-Rayyes is a young student from Gaza whose academic excellence has continued despite extraordinary hardship. Widely regarded as one of the top students in Palestine, Hafez has built an outstanding academic record through discipline, resilience, and determination. He achieved a 97% Tawjihi GPA, including 198/200 in Mathematics, after earlier earning 98.3% in Grade 11 and 99.7% in Grade 10. In 2025, he also scored 100% on the UCL Physics Entrance Examination and achieved 5.5 in ESAT Mathematics 2.

His achievements have already been recognised internationally. Since 2024, Hafez has received scholarship opportunities in Turkey and Romania, as well as an offer from University College London and the Interstellar Scholarship from the Phoenix Space Foundation for top Palestinian students. Yet despite his talent and hard work, bureaucratic barriers prevented him from leaving Gaza. In 2025, his evacuation application was rejected by the Home Office, causing him to lose those life-changing opportunities.

Now, in 2026, Hafez has been given another chance. Trinity College Dublin responded to his application with exceptional speed and offered him a place on its Foundation Year, recognising the strength of his case and his remarkable potential. He has also received support from academics and even a research assistant opportunity. After three years of delay caused by circumstances entirely beyond his control, he is finally close to beginning the education he has fought so hard to pursue.

The greatest obstacle now is funding. This fundraiser is to help Hafez travel to Ireland, secure the financial support needed to begin at Trinity, and finally continue his education in safety and stability. Supporting Hafez means helping an exceptional student from Gaza reclaim a future that conflict and bureaucracy have repeatedly tried to take from him.

Every contribution brings him one step closer to Trinity, and one step closer to the life his talent and perseverance deserve.