The presidents of 10 major Belgian universities on Monday called on their government to help evacuate 13 Palestinian students and researchers stranded in the Gaza Strip, despite their having received scholarships and visas allowing them to study at Belgian academic institutions, amid a political dispute within the governing coalition over their reception.
University presidents call for students’ evacuation
In a statement, the university presidents expressed their dismay at the continued absence of a decision allowing the students to enter, describing the linking of their fate to internal political disputes as “inappropriate political bargaining.” They said the students had been selected through rigorous academic procedures and had expressed their desire to return to their country in the future and help rebuild it. The students had obtained scholarships and visas but remained stranded in Gaza, with some waiting for about two years.
Non-governmental organizations have also criticized the months-long delay, saying it prevents the students from continuing their education. Organizations and universities accuse the Belgian authorities of lacking political will and imposing procedural obstacles, including requiring applicants to appear in person at a Belgian diplomatic mission in Jerusalem or Cairo to submit their visa applications.
Government dispute over receiving Palestinians from Gaza
Prévot described the dispute within the cabinet as “blackmail,” explaining that the issue of the Gaza students had been pitted against contentious migration matters, including a demand by the right to tighten deportation procedures for Afghans who had not obtained the right to stay. By contrast, Minister for Asylum and Migration Annelies Van Bossuyt opposed the students’ arrival in Belgium about a week ago, warning that they might submit asylum or family reunification applications.
She said this could lead to a “domino effect,” pointing to the possibility that students from Yemen, Sudan and Afghanistan could submit similar applications. The most recent evacuation from Gaza, in March 2025, included about 24 Belgian citizens and people entitled to reside in Belgium, who left through the Kerem Abu Salem crossing.
In June, students who had received scholarships and admission from the Institute of Tropical Medicine and Hasselt and Antwerp universities were unable to leave.
