Ten of Belgium’s leading universities have issued a formal letter expressing their "dismay" regarding the government’s recent decision to abandon plans for the evacuation of 13 Palestinian students. These students had previously been granted scholarships to study in Belgium but remain trapped in Gaza due to the ongoing conflict.

The university rectors have accused the Belgian administration of treating the students as "bargaining chips" within the context of broader political negotiations. This decision follows a period of internal disagreement within Belgium's coalition government, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the evacuation mission last week.

While the university leaders frame the government's inaction as a failure to uphold humanitarian commitments to scholarship recipients, the government has not yet provided a detailed public justification for the reversal of the evacuation plan. The situation highlights a growing tension between academic institutions and state authorities over the responsibility to protect students caught in international conflict zones. The coalition government remains divided on the matter, reflecting the broader complexities of Belgium's foreign policy approach to the war in Gaza.