Arrival of Gazan students kept UU and UMC on tenterhooks for months

Schiphol Airport, two weeks ago. Regien Biesma, Associate Professor of Global Health at UMC Utrecht, can finally welcome the students from Gaza with open arms. She had talked to them almost daily over the previous months.

“It was a stunning moment, but the students had mixed feelings, as you can imagine: joy because they were finally here and sadness because they had to say goodbye to family and friends.”

Biesma was part of a group of staff members from Utrecht University and UMC Utrecht who had been preparing for the arrival of seven students from Gaza. In total, 40 students and researchers from the war-torn region were expected by Dutch universities. 

Regien Biesma from UMC Utrecht speaking to the NOS news programme. Photo: Aisa Kariman

Major setbacks
Alieke Bloem, Head of Research Policy at Utrecht University, and UU Rector Wilco Hazeleger were also impressed by their meetings with the students. Over the past few months, Bloem had helped lead the Utrecht-based team working on a "complex" and "nerve-racking" operation to bring students from a war zone to the Netherlands, something that had never been done before.

She was also present at the airport reception. Hazeleger met the students a day later, when they paid a brief visit to the Administration Building. “You cannot fully imagine what they have been through, but it's very good to have them here.”

According to Hazeleger, Utrecht University had wanted to do something for students and academics in Gaza ever since the destruction began. "The damage is so extensive that hardly anything remains of the academic infrastructure. Seeing this, you feel a sense of responsibility as a university in the Netherlands. We wanted to help ensure that things can be rebuilt once the war is over. We just didn’t know how to get in touch with students in Gaza.”

A real opportunity arose when Maastricht University successfully brought students to the country in September 2025. To achieve this goal, the university got in touch with the Gazan Student Support Network, in the besieged area. Hazeleger: “We saw this as an opportunity. And that’s how we started playing on many fronts at once.”

The students wore wristbands during the trip. Photo: courtesy of one of the students

Exhausted doctors
At UMC Utrecht, Regien Biesma had been wondering whether doctors from Gaza could come to Utrecht. A colleague of hers had spent a month in the region and met a doctor who was keen to study in the Netherlands. “He had been working for two and a half years in a health system that was barely functioning. He simply couldn’t go on any longer, and there are many other doctors there in the same situation.”

She was pleased to hear that two professors from the Faculty of Humanities had already launched a crowdfunding campaign in anticipation of the possible arrival of Gazan students and researchers. When she learned that the UU Executive Board had concrete plans to bring them to Utrecht, she decided to join the team working on this.

Over the past year, alongside her regular duties, she has been in touch with universities at home and abroad that have experience evacuating students from Gaza. She also connected with universities that were keen to bring students over. She exchanged messages almost daily with the students set to study Medicine in Utrecht.

Border crossing into Jordan. Students’ own photograph

Administrative procedures
The UU team had a lot to do. First of all, they had to determine which students were eligible to study in Utrecht and which would be better suited to other universities, explains Bloem.

They also had to check that all qualifications were in order and that students had a sufficient command of English. “They had to meet the criteria we always apply to international students, although the situation was different.”

On several occasions, the team was uncertain as to whether their plans would go ahead due to intense bombings and closed border crossings. In the end, the biggest obstacle came from the Dutch government.

Government opposition
Once they had determined which scholarship recipients would be eligible to study in the Netherlands and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) had approved them, the students could finally apply for a visa. To do so, they had to travel through Israel to the Dutch embassy in Jordan.

However, the Netherlands refused to place the students on a Cogat list, which Israel uses to decide whether to grant a traveller transit permission. This led Gazan students to start several court cases. A judge ordered the Dutch to provide consular assistance, but nothing happened at first. Progress was made only when the NOS ran a report on the matter, and universities sent an open letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. 

Biesma says that she could see their despair growing in the text messages. “At first, they expected to be evacuated in a few months, but then things dragged on and on, and nobody could tell them anything. They only got a confirmation that it was really going to happen right before everything was finalised. That's when they said goodbye to their family and friends.”

After arriving in the Netherlands, the seven students said they were very satisfied with the assistance provided by the ministry’s staff throughout the journey. However, UU Rector Remco Hazeleger acknowledges that the Dutch government’s initial stance led to considerable frustration and prompted the open letter to the cabinet.

“We'd prefer students – and academics – to move freely. In other words, an open and accessible academic community. That’s best for academia, and it’s how we can best serve the world. But, in this case, there was clearly a clash with other values. And that hurts.”

Highlights
Bloem, Head of Research Policy, praises her team’s tenacity. “We needed quite a lot of stamina, and we did this alongside our regular work. Everyone involved has shown a lot of commitment, especially the faculties where the students will be studying.” For privacy reasons, Utrecht University has chosen not to disclose how many students will be studying at each faculty. 

Regien Biesma: “We did our best to give the students hope, but sometimes I would lose hope myself for a moment. But there was always someone to cheer me up, and there were always glimmers of hope, such as the day when accommodation was arranged for them in Utrecht." 

A non-political issue
Hazeleger is also pleased to note that UU's efforts to facilitate the students’ arrival have remained "a non-political issue", at least within the university. The ongoing debate about whether the university should sever all ties with Israeli partners was never linked to this initiative. “The University Council also fully supported this. Fortunately, everyone realises that this is about people. People we are keen to help.”

However, Biesma says that UMC Utrecht was asked on several occasions why the doctors were coming here when they are desperately needed there. She emphasises that the Faculty of Medical Sciences is also closely involved in the education of students who are still in Gaza and cannot leave. “Lecturers have been killed, students have been killed, entire buildings have been destroyed, but we still want to ensure that students can complete their studies.”

With the help of a grant from Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for the internationalisation of education, UU launched a project last year in which students from Utrecht spoke online with students from two universities in Gaza on Saturday afternoons. They talked about the healthcare systems in the Netherlands and in Gaza. UMC Utrecht recently received a grant from CHARM-EU to make this a permanent feature of the curriculum.

In addition, UMC Utrecht has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Palestinian Medical Academy (Palmed) and two medical universities in Gaza. UU provides online teaching and learning resources to the institutions. Biesma: “We are also in the process of setting up an international alliance of universities for medical education in Gaza. Together, we can achieve much more.”

Clothing donations in Utrecht. Photo: UMC Utrecht

Buddies
According to Bloem and Biesma, the seven students seem to be settling in well. A network of volunteers has been set up to help the newcomers find their way in the Netherlands. The students have also met their faculty-level contact persons.

As the actual start of their studies is still some way off, the students have been given the opportunity to participate in the Utrecht Summer School. Arrangements are also being made for them to attend a Dutch language course.

Bloem: “They are gradually getting a sense of where they have ended up and who the people they will be dealing with are. Once that’s behind them, they will hopefully be able to settle in.”

Utrecht University is keen to ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible and the students are treated as "ordinary" students as much as possible.

No special precautions have been taken to monitor the students’ mental wellbeing. Bloem: “We are alert to signs of trauma, but this actually falls within our standard care process. Our study advisers and psychologists are sufficiently equipped to deal with any problems and refer students if necessary.”

However, the students still need basic necessities, which is why a clothing donation campaign has been organised. In addition, Ufonds has launched a donation campaign aimed at students, staff and alumni at Utrecht University. This campaign had already raised 12,000 euros by the beginning of this week.

Bloem: “They weren’t allowed to bring anything with them. No suitcase, no toiletries bag. Just the clothes they were wearing, a mobile phone and a charger. Nothing else at all.”