A group of 13 students and researchers in Gaza were unable to pursue scholarship opportunities at Belgian universities after the country’s five-party coalition government deadlocked on an evacuation plan.
The students, including doctors, academics, and graduates, had successfully completed competitive selection processes and secured scholarships at institutions including the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp and KU Leuven. However, they faced a significant obstacle: visa applications for Belgium can only be completed in person in Jerusalem or Cairo, and the students are unable to leave Gaza. Ahmed Abujami, a 28-year-old doctor with a scholarship for a master’s degree in public health, expressed disappointment about losing another academic year. Salwa Abu Elhaj, a 23-year-old graduate, noted she now lives in a tent after her home was destroyed and faces constant uncertainty about basic necessities.
Belgium’s deputy leader and foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, withdrew his proposal to evacuate the students after one coalition partner, understood to be the New Flemish Alliance party, rejected it unless concessions were made on other migration issues. Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt opposed the plan, citing concerns that accepting these students could create a precedent leading to similar requests from other regions and potential family reunification claims.
Rectors from seven academic institutions published a joint statement expressing outrage at the outcome, emphasizing that the students were not illegal migrants but scholarship recipients selected through independent processes. The academics noted the students have funding and intend to return to Gaza for reconstruction efforts.
Other European nations, including Italy and the UK, have successfully negotiated evacuations of researchers and students from Gaza in recent months. The Belgian students remain in Gaza as their universities wait and the academic year progresses without them.
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