Around 200 Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have found refuge in France. They had to leave part of their family behind and do not know whether the status granted to them by the French authorities will allow them to return home.
“The intense bombings, the fear and the danger… I didn't hesitate long before leaving,” explains Bassam*, a Gaza student now living as a refugee in France. It has been almost five months since Israeli shells and rockets rained down on the Gaza Strip. Israel has been relentlessly shelling Palestinian territory since the October 7 Hamas attack that killed nearly 1,200 people. The attacks left more than 30,000 dead, according to the latest count by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. Few escaped from this enclave, described by Human Rights Watch as an “open-air prison.”
Bassam went with his children and wife. Like 210 other people, according to the France Horizon association, he was repatriated from France via Cairo, Egypt, before boarding a plane chartered from Paris. But his entire family was unable to benefit from the diplomatic protection granted by France. “Even today I get a lot of inquiries from relatives asking me how I can get out of this hell,” explains the father, who now lives in the south. “My mother, my brothers, my sisters and my friends stayed.”
Slow returns
His case is reminiscent of that of the Abu Shamla family. The father, Ahmed, an agent at the French Institute in Gaza, was offered repatriation to France. His wife and two of his children were also on the list as beneficiaries, but not his four eldest children, all of whom were adults. His wife and the youngest flew to Paris, but Ahmed decided to stay with the four eldest. A refugee in Rafah, southern Gaza, he died on December 16 after being injured in an Israeli bombardment three days earlier.
The elders have now been repatriated. “Fathers and mothers must be killed so that we can act,” denounces Véronique Hollebecque, member of the France Palestine Solidarity Association (AFPS). In this case, communist senator Pascal Savoldelli claims to have intervened with the French consulate in Jerusalem to speed up the procurement of the ID cards. “I wrote to the consul to let him know that there is a city [Ivry-Sur-Seine] and a department that was ready to receive them,” the elected official from Val-de-Marne tells franceinfo.
Green light from Israel required
Because it is the French consulate that determines the list of people to be evacuated, which is then forwarded to the Israeli and Egyptian authorities, who give the green light… or not. In the case of Assia*, a Gazoui mother who has been seeking refuge in France for several months, Israel appears to have been an obstacle to the evacuation of her family: “I have asked the French authorities to add relatives to the lists as soon as I can …” came out. I was told that it was very complicated and that the Israelis controlled everything. They finally managed to “get out of the Gaza Strip on their own,” Assia said with relief.
These evacuations If there are difficult questions, the question arises as to the requirements that must be met for inclusion on the list. Some authorized persons, such as French citizens and rights holders, are still in Gaza. “An agent from the French consulate is still there, while his wife and children are in France,” assures Razan Nidal, head of the National Committee for the Reception and Support of Survivors of the Palestine Genocide, an association that helps them.
The question of refugee status
Palestinians coming from Gaza must go through the usual asylum application process with the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra). And the uncertainty that comes with it. “We have no idea what status we will benefit from. Will it be subsidiary protection or refugee status?” Bassam asks. The first grants fewer rights than the second and offers a renewable residence permit for four years, compared to ten years for refugees.
In a decision of the National Asylum Tribunal (CNDA), which deals with the appeals of people whose applications were rejected by Ofpra, subsidiary protection was maintained: on February 12, it granted asylum to a Gaza national because, given the situation, ” “assessed a real danger of serious danger to his life or person”. It was the first decision since the beginning of the war that was intended to set a precedent. “It is a safe bet that Ofpra will grant applicants the right to asylum from now on,” predicts the CNDA, contacted by franceinfo.
Files are processed quickly
Like Assia, returnees say they did not have to wait long for their procedures: “In a short time we had appointments at the French Office of Immigration and Integration and at the prefecture. A week later we received the decision regarding the accommodation,” explains the Palestinian. Most people I know have already gotten jobs at Ofpra.” The organization contacted by Franceinfo declined to provide any information the number of applications submitted by people of Palestinian origin since October 7, as well as the proportion of applications accepted and rejected. The Quai d'Orsay also did not respond to our inquiries.
The responsiveness of certain institutions is also highlighted by certain associations committed to organizing the reception. “Our relationship with the French Office for Immigration and Integration works very well. There was never a single time that we were faced with a complicated situation. Every time we contact them, the problem is solved straight away,” testifies Razan Nidal. This speed of file processing is in contrast to the fate reserved for other asylum seekers. “France Horizon employees explained to us that some families are still waiting for an answer six months after their appointment,” emphasizes Assia.
Not ideal protection
It must be said that the associations are working to support these newcomers, especially non-French speakers. “I know that the administration in this country has a lot of papers,” admits Bassam. “Fortunately, France Terre d'Asile and other pro-Palestinian associations are preparing us for the interviews.” A WhatsApp group has also been created to bring together Gazans present in France. “It allows us to exchange ideas with each other and learn from each other’s experiences,” adds the refugee.
The fact remains that asylum, even if it were easier to grant, is not ideal for these Palestinians who hope to one day return to Gaza after the war ends. An option incompatible with this refugee status, which allows you to travel anywhere except your country of origin, as determined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“I want to go back and forth after the war, especially with my children, so that they don't forget their country and the city where they were born, but I think with the status we get, we won't “We won’t have much of a choice.”
Bassam, Palestinian refugee
at franceinfo
For this reason, “some people don’t ask for asylum,” complains Véronique Hollebecque, who campaigns for temporary humanitarian protection. A status granted since March 4, 2022 to Ukrainians who found refuge in Europe after the Russian invasion. Specifically, this protection makes it possible to obtain a one-year, renewable residence permit that allows access to housing, the labor market, medical care, financial support, etc. This is the first time this measure has been activated since its introduction in 2001.
Deficiencies in medical monitoring
Asylum seeker status also limits access to medical care. Palestinian exiles must wait three months to benefit from general health protection, except in urgent cases determined by the Interior Ministry. “Medical and psychological care is not sufficient for people who have just left a war zone and left their families behind,” complains Razan Nidal.
Even if they are enrolled in health insurance, they may be held back by the cost of certain treatments. “I went to the emergency room. After the consultation, I was asked to pay 40 euros and given an estimate because I had consulted a specialist,” says Assia. The staff couldn't tell me whether Medicare would cover some of the cost.” Bassam and his family sought counseling to address anxiety disorders and anxiety caused by the conflict.
“I asked for an Arabic-speaking practitioner because I'm mostly afraid that the war will remain ingrained in my children's minds.”
Bassam, Palestinian refugee
at franceinfo
This request remained unanswered for the time being because there was no doctor with the necessary language skills.
Imperfect reception conditions
France Horizon, the association commissioned by the state to welcome returnees, explains that it carries out an “initial social assessment” on them when they arrive. But once they are distributed into accommodation centers, not everyone benefits from psychological monitoring. In Périgueux, in the Dordogne, “it was discussed for the families who arrived here, but it didn’t happen,” explains Véronique Hollebecque. Here, too, the situation is in contrast to the resources invested for Ukrainian refugees: the state had a network of medical-psychological emergency cells aimed at providing support to patients in French or Ukrainian.
For Razan Nidal, these difficulties illustrate the shortcomings of the reception system for Palestinians, but also for all other asylum seekers in France. “There has been no special effort for the people of Gaza, and that is good in a way,” she says. “We are not saying that the people of Gaza deserve a better reception than others, but we are demanding that everyone deserves to have access to decent reception conditions.”
*First names have been changed.