Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot withdrew the proposal to evacuate 13 students and researchers from Gaza after one of the partners in the five-party coalition led by Flemish nationalist Bart De Wever completely rejected it. According to the report, this refers to the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), which was willing to discuss the issue only in exchange for concessions on the return of convicts to Afghanistan and on return centers.
Minister for Asylum and Migration Annelies Van Bossuyt opposes the entry of this group without stricter measures to ensure the departure of people who do not have the right to remain in the country. She is due to make a statement on the issue in the Belgian parliament on Wednesday.
Among those waiting to leave is 28-year-old doctor Ahmed Abujami. He received a scholarship for a one-year master’s degree in public health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, and hopes to gain the skills and experience to help rebuild Gaza’s devastated healthcare system.
23-year-old graduate Salwa Abu Elhaj is supposed to study communication sciences at KU Leuven in Leuven, Belgium. She is currently living in a tent in central Gaza with her family after their home was destroyed and they had to move several times.
39-year-old computer science professor Ahmed Alsalibi received a scholarship at the Free University of Brussels (ULB, Belgium) in May 2024. His visa has already been approved, but he can only obtain it in person in Cairo, Jordan, or Jerusalem, while the group cannot leave the Gaza Strip: Belgian rules require visa applications to be submitted in person in Jerusalem or Cairo.
The rectors of the seven involved universities wrote in the Belgian newspaper De Standaard that these people are not illegal migrants, but were selected through a competitive process and received scholarships covering living expenses. They added that the chosen courses are needed by Gaza for reconstruction, and the universities themselves continue to seek a solution and keep their classrooms open.
The authors of the letter also reminded readers that similar evacuations of students and researchers were organized by Italy and the United Kingdom last year. Abujami said that with each day of waiting, the academic year moves further ahead, and the group’s future in Gaza faces ever greater risk.
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