In Belgium, a mother fears for her children under Israel’s bombs in Gaza

Every nook and country of Rawan Alkatari’s location successful Aalst, a metropolis successful Belgium, is filled with pictures that punctual her of her household successful Gaza.

“People who travel to sojourn my location accidental it is beautiful. But I’ll spot it arsenic beauteous erstwhile it is filled with the dependable of my children,” she said.

The 30-year-old came to Belgium soon earlier Israel’s warfare connected Gaza began successful October 2023, having been granted asylum.

But her hubby Osama and 3 children – Lujayn, Lama and Omar, aged 14, 12 and eight, respectively – person been incapable to articulation her, contempt Belgium having approved their household reunification visas.

“My hubby and children got their household reunification visas approved [by Belgium] connected October 1, 2024, but stay stuck successful Gaza. Their visas besides expire successful October this year,” she told Al Jazeera.

“Right now, my family’s documents are astatine the Belgian embassy successful Cairo successful Egypt. Belgium says it has submitted their names for evacuation and is awaiting Israeli approval, portion Israel says it hasn’t received anything. So, who is responsible? I honestly don’t know,” she said.

Alkatari is being supported by an Israel-based organisation, which has contacted COGAT, the Israeli army’s assistance coordination agency, regarding her case. COGAT told the radical successful June that a petition for her family’s evacuation had not been received, she said, referring to emails seen by Al Jazeera.

Alkatari’s household has been granted visas for Belgium but stay stuck successful Gaza [Al Jazeera]

Alkatari’s location successful Gaza City has been destroyed. Her household has been displaced much than 4 times. They presently unrecorded successful an overcrowded encampment successful al-Mawasi successful Gaza’s Khan Younis. Israel had designated al-Mawasi arsenic a humanitarian harmless portion successful December 2023, but has repeatedly attacked the country since then.

“Every day, bombs autumn astir their tents, and they ticker radical die. They are besides surviving successful a miserable structure with not capable food, nary medicines and nary harmless bathrooms,” she said, adding that fever, hepatitis, and tegument diseases are rampant successful the camp. Rodents, weasels, and snakes crawl astir arsenic radical sleep, she said.

In Belgium, guilt-stricken and acrophobic astir her family’s plight, she struggles to devour oregon drink.

“My children beg maine to eat. I went retired erstwhile to get thing to eat. I looked astatine the supermarket and thought, ‘How americium I going to devour erstwhile they’re hungry?’ My children nary longer look the aforesaid erstwhile I talk to them implicit video calls. Their faces are airy and yellowish from malnutrition. My hubby has besides aged truthful much. His hairsbreadth and beard person turned wholly white,” she said.

Why are evacuations being delayed?

The European Union allows asylum seekers who person been granted planetary extortion successful immoderate subordinate authorities to bring their spouse, children and definite different household members nether the bloc’s Family Reunification Directive.

In Belgium, 1 successful 4 visas were fixed to members of a refugee’s household past year, section broadcaster VRT NWS reported successful January. Refugee household reunification visas increased to 5,714 successful 2024 from 3,700 successful 2023.

But for refugees from Gaza, Belgium tin “only supply consular assistance and registry connected an evacuation database Belgians and foreigners who person a exile presumption successful Belgium, arsenic good arsenic the members of their atomic family”, according to the Immigration Department.

Alkatari is not convinced.

“Some families I cognize person besides near for different countries via the Kerem Shalom [crossing] successful Israel. So determination are options, but determination seems to beryllium a wide nonaccomplishment to attraction for us,” she said, adding that the cases she has heard of see families with Belgian visas and immoderate who person reached different European countries connected aesculapian evacuations.

Nearby, 37 radical arrived successful France connected July 11; the French Foreign Ministry said that since January 2025, 292 radical from Gaza person been evacuated to the state that borders Belgium.

In aboriginal June, successful an effort to enactment unit connected Belgian authorities, Alkatari went connected a three-week hunger onslaught protestation extracurricular Belgium’s Foreign Ministry successful Brussels.

Several 100 Palestinian families successful Gaza waiting to beryllium evacuated to Belgium are stuck successful a akin situation, according to section media reports.

In June, a radical of lawyers condemned the hold successful an unfastened missive published by the Belgian regular La Libre Belgique, addressed to Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot.

“The Belgian authorities continues successful information to bash everything successful its powerfulness to forestall men, women and children caught successful the hellhole of Gaza from being capable to articulation their household members successful Belgium,” they said.

Belgium rejects the accusations.

Belgium has evacuated much than 500 radical from Gaza, since the warfare began, via the Rafah borderline crossing bordering Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. This radical includes Belgian citizens and Palestinians with Belgian exile presumption and their lawful partners and children.

“These evacuations had to beryllium halted successful May 2024, erstwhile the Rafah borderline crossing was closed. It was not until March 2025 that evacuation operations could resume, this clip done the borderline station of Kerem Shalom and Jordan. Since then, astir 40 radical person been evacuated,” the spokesperson told Al Jazeera.

Israel closed the Rafah borderline crossing successful May 2024, claiming that it was being utilized for “terrorist purposes”. In January this year, the crossing was opened for aesculapian evacuations.

Belgium organised aesculapian evacuations successful July and December past twelvemonth arsenic portion of a pan-European humanitarian mission, successful coordination with the World Health Organization. The patients and caretakers were either evacuated from Egypt oregon straight from Gaza.

In October 2024, Belgium’s overseas curate said the rules had changed and lone Belgians oregon their halfway household members would beryllium eligible for evacuation. But this regularisation ended past month, “and preparations began for the resumption of evacuations that had been suspended successful May 2024”, the spokesperson added, giving nary further details.

Asked if Israel is delaying evacuations, the spokesperson said: “A assortment of factors proceed to origin delays, but efforts are ongoing to find solutions, successful adjacent practice with each applicable authorities.”

Al Jazeera contacted COGAT for remark but did not person a effect astatine the clip of publishing.

Bram Frouws, manager of the Geneva-based Mixed Migration Centre, told Al Jazeera that European countries could make humanitarian channels, contented laissez-passer oregon exigency visas, and loosen the documentation requirements.

“It’s not impossible, astir countries person managed to get Palestinian radical that clasp dual citizenship of their countries retired of Gaza, truthful with governmental will, determination are possibilities,” helium said.

“But I don’t deliberation determination is overmuch of that governmental volition successful the existent governmental clime successful astir European countries.”