The key facts

  • Palestinian families in Belgium are requesting an urgent meeting with Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot over the flooding of shelters in Gaza
  • According to the families' spokesman Ismail El Najjar, 1,500–1,800 people with Belgian visas are in high-risk zones
  • Prevot's plan to evacuate 320 Palestinians has stalled due to disagreements within the coalition government, including objections to 13 students

Flooding of shelters and appeal to the minister

Palestinians living in Belgium have turned to Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot with a request for an urgent meeting to secure the evacuation of relatives who hold Belgian visas and remain in the Gaza Strip, where heavy rain and wind have flooded temporary shelters. According to the Belgian news agency Belga citing the families' spokesman Ismail El Najjar, the bad weather has damaged shelters and belongings of hundreds of visa holders since Friday night.

Political deadlock over the evacuation plan

Prevot acknowledged that the extreme weather has further worsened conditions in Gaza and expressed regret that the federal government has not yet agreed on an evacuation; his office is considering the possibility of receiving a delegation of the families. Earlier, the minister proposed a priority evacuation of 320 Palestinians, but the plan stalled due to disagreements within the coalition government, including objections to the entry of 13 students from Gaza holding Belgian student visas. Thus, the families' appeal is connected not only to the weather: the confirmed change in circumstances — the flooding of shelters after Friday night — has compounded an evacuation plan already blocked at government level, which leaves visa holders in a zone of risk. The outlet also notes that Israeli attacks have destroyed a significant portion of Gaza's housing and infrastructure, leaving many Palestinians in temporary shelters vulnerable to the deteriorating winter weather.