Cork's Izz Café closes temporarily amid staff worries about loved ones in Gaza 

Cork’s popular Palestinian restaurant, the Izz Café on Georges Quay, has announced it is closing temporarily as the team there find themselves ‘exhausted mentally’ given the current situation in Gaza.

In a statement published on social media, the café proprietors said that many of its staff are Palestinian and from Gaza. 

“Our staff, many of whom are Palestinian and Gazan cannot operate when so worried about the state of their families and friends,” the statement on ‘X’, the platform formerly known as Twitter, said.

“We will take a few days off to allow us to focus on this – thank you for understanding.” 

The statement led to an outpouring of support from customers, friends and supporters of the café which was opened by Izzedeen and Eman Akarajeh in 2019.