A Palestinian woman who praised Hamas’s October 7 massacre has reportedly been granted a visa to come to Australia, despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcoming a report calling for applicants to be barred for extremist views.
Mona Zahed, a chef and married mother of four who lives in Gaza, celebrated the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 1,200 people on October 7, 2023.
‘We woke up and got God’s kingdom,’ she wrote, the day after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, which also saw 251 people taken hostage by Hamas terrorists.
In a now-deleted post, Ms Zahed shared a photo of terrified Nova music festivalgoers fleeing for their lives alongside a picture of refugees fleeing the ‘Nakba’ or catastrophe in 1948, which established the state of Israel and saw the mass displacement of Palestinians.
‘Praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day,’ Ms Zahed captioned the post, first reported by the Herald Sun.
Ms Zahed, who wrote a cookbook while living in a displacement tent in southern Gaza called Tabkha: Recipes from Under the Rubble, has been supported by Melbourne-based artist Matt Chun.
Last month, Mr Chun revealed that his partner Tess Cullity, who publishes the cookbook, had been ‘working alongside human rights lawyers to secure safe passage for Mona and her family from Gaza to Wurundjeri Land’ (Melbourne).
‘Finally, against all odds, Tess has visas approved.’
Mona Zahed, a chef and married mother-of-four who lives in Gaza , celebrated the terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 1,200 people on October 7, 2023. She has reprotedly been granted a visa to come to Australia
In a now-deleted post, Ms Zahed shared a photo of terrified Nova music festivalgoers fleeing for their lives alongside a picture of refugees fleeing the ‘Nakba’ or catastrophe in 1948 which established the state of Israel and saw the mass displacement of Palestinians
Mr Chun and his partner have helped raise almost $29,000 for Mona and her family.
The artist also celebrated the Hamas terrorist attacks, sharing a picture of the Palestinian flag with the title ‘land back.’
The caption read: ‘Power to the freedom fighters. Death to the occupation. Resistance by any means necessary. Liberation from the River to the Sea.’
This comes just weeks after Prime Minister Albanese welcomed a report from Jillian Segal, the government’s special envoy to combat antisemitism, which recommended screening visa applicants for anti-Semitic views.
Opposition Home Affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said that if Ms Zahed had been granted a visa, it represented ‘yet another immigration failure by the Albanese Labor government.’
‘Any person that shows support for a terrorist organisation should not be granted a visa to Australia,’ he said.
‘If a visa has been granted, Tony Burke must immediately explain why, under his watch, an individual who celebrated the October 7 terrorist attack has been allowed to enter our country.’
The Daily Mail approached the Department of Home Affairs, which is responsible for granting visas, for comment.
The ensuing conflict triggered by the events of October 7 has so far claimed the lives of over 55,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
