The 5-party coalition in Belgium failed to reach an agreement last week on the evacuation of 13 students and researchers from Gaza, leaving the scholarship recipients’ situation uncertain. Speaking to the Guardian, 28-year-old doctor Ahmed Ebucami, who won a scholarship at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, said he had been unable to continue his studies because of the war and was concerned about losing another academic year. Selva Ebu Elhac, a 23-year-old KU Leuven scholarship recipient, also said she was living in a tent with her family after their home was destroyed in Israeli attacks and that it had become increasingly difficult to remain hopeful.
Computer scientist Ahmed Alsalibi, 39, said he received a scholarship from the Free University of Brussels (ULB) in May 2024 and that, although his visa had been approved, he had to collect his passport in person from Cairo, Amman or Jerusalem. Alsalibi aims to develop artificial intelligence-powered systems for emergency vehicles in Gaza.
The United Kingdom and Italy carried out similar evacuations last year after reaching agreements with the Israeli government. While the rectors of 7 institutions criticized the government, Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt argued that family reunification or asylum applications could create a “domino effect”.
Why it matters
The completion of scholarship and visa procedures alone is not enough for academic mobility when exit from Gaza and access to passports are not secured. This situation makes visible the political and administrative gap between the admission decisions of universities in Belgium and the concerns of the five-party coalition regarding asylum and family reunification. The fact that the United Kingdom and Italy carried out similar evacuations by reaching agreements with the Israeli government shows that scholarship recipients’ ability to reach universities depends more on intergovernmental arrangements than on individual applications. The uncertainty raises questions not only about the academic schedules of 13 people but also about whether scholarships granted to researchers in a war zone can actually be used. Despite the rectors’ criticism, it remains unclear what kind of exit and admission mechanism the coalition could establish for these individuals.
Background
Filistinli is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: we published a news article mentioning this name in the last 90 days; that article is dated September 11, 2026.