A Palestinian woman who publicly thanked Allah for keeping her alive to witness Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel could soon be in Australia, with her supporters boasting she has been granted a visa by the Albanese government.

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Mona Zahed posted during the October 7, 2023 attack: “We woke up and got God’s kingdom.” She also shared an Instagram image of terrified festival-goers fleeing armed terrorists alongside the caption: “Praise be to Allah who has kept us alive to see this day.” The photo was paired with an image Palestinians refer to as the Nakba or “catastrophe” in 1948, marking the establishment of Israel.

Zahed, her husband, and four children have received support from Melbourne artist Matt Chun, who has previously described the proscribed terrorist group Hamas as “courageous Indigenous resistance fighters.” Chun and his partner, Tess Cullity, claim to have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the family’s relocation from “Gaza to Wurundjeri Land.”

On July 20, Chun posted on social media: “Finally, against all odds, Tess has visas approved.”

Good morning 🐨🐨🐨

Weeks after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed a report calling for applicants to be barred for extremist views, including anti-Semitism, supporters have claimed a visa has been given to Mona Zahed who rejoiced, as Hamas’s deadly attack was still… pic.twitter.com/Lg3BxT5Zj5

— 🎀𝕂𝔼𝕃𝕃𝕀𝔼🎀 𝕀 𝕊𝔼𝔼 𝔻𝕌𝕄𝔹 ℙ𝔼𝕆ℙ𝕃𝔼 ™ (@kelliekelly23) August 7, 2025

The development comes despite Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess stating in September: “If you think Hamas and what they did on the 7th of October is OK, I can tell you that is not OK, and from an ASIO security assessment point of view, you will not pass muster.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke earlier this week said he was blocking visas of divisive figures on character grounds. “The Labor approach is you want people to be safe and feel safe,” he told The Age.

Opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie said that if Zahed had indeed been granted a visa, it was “yet ­another immigration failure by the Albanese Labor government.” He added: “Any person that shows support for a terrorist organisation should not be granted a visa to Australia. 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.”