France halts intake of Gazans over student's antisemitic posts
"No evacuation of any kind will take place until we have drawn conclusions from this investigation," Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told Franceinfo radio.
All Gazans who have entered France will undergo a second screening, he added.
The foreign ministry told AFP it could not disclose how many people would be affected by the policy change, citing confidentiality concerns.
France has helped more than 500 people leave Gaza since the latest war between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel started, including wounded children, journalists, students and artists.
The conflict, triggered by Hamas's murderous October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, has seen Israel retaliate with a deadly military campaign and an aid blockade in Gaza that some rights groups have qualified as "genocide".
"France cannot suspend its policy of welcoming evacuated Gazans: our common humanity is at stake," said Arthur Delaporte, spokesman for the opposition Socialist Party, on X.
Lille's general prosecutor said Thursday that a judicial probe has been opened against the student for allegedly trying to "justify terrorism" and "justify a crime against humanity".
Barrot confirmed she must leave France, noting that talks were ongoing to determine her destination.
'Just two minutes'
The 25-year-old woman was due to start studying at France's prestigious Sciences Po in the fall as part of a government scholarship programme for students from Gaza.
A French diplomatic source said the student arrived in France on July 11 on a scholarship based on "academic excellence" and after "security checks".
But now she will have to leave the country after pro-Israel accounts on X resurfaced posts she shared in September, including an image of Adolf Hitler and words appearing to call for the death of Jews.
The account attributed to the student has been taken offline, after French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau demanded it be closed down.
AFP has not been able to independently confirm the social media posts attributed to the young woman.
Sciences Po however confirmed on Wednesday that the young woman had shared the content. It said they were in "direct contradiction" with the university's values, without elaborating.
"The security checks carried out by the relevant state services, as well as by the Israeli authorities, did not detect these antisemitic and unacceptable comments," Barrot said.
A spokesman for France's far-right National Rally criticised the government's vetting process, saying "it only took two minutes of browsing" to find the posts.
"And yet, France welcomed this individual," said spokesman Julien Odoul on Europe 1 radio.
AFP was not immediately able to reach the student for comment. The news agency is not identifying her at this stage of the investigation.
In a July interview on broadcaster RMC, before her posts came to light, the 25-year-old had expressed her excitement about studying in France.
"I am finally in a safe space," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Renewed clashes in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida kill four people, monitor says
Renewed sectarian clashes in southern Syria 's Druze-majority Sweida province killed at least four people on Sunday, a war monitor said, as Damascus accused local groups of violating last month's ceasefire. The province witnessed deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouins in July that drew the intervention of government forces and tribal fighters who came to support the Bedouins. A ceasefire put an end to the week of bloodshed – which killed 1,400 people, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights – but the situation remained tense, flaring into violence again on Sunday. Humanitarian needs escalate in Sweida as truce frays 01:55 The Syrian government under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been struggling to consolidate control since he led a shock insurgency that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending the Assad family's decades-long autocratic rule. Political opponents and ethnic and religious minorities have been suspicious of Sharaa's de facto Islamist rule and cooperation with affiliated fighters that come from militant groups. State state television said clashes between government forces and Druze militias rocked the southern province of Sweida on Saturday after Druze factions attacked Syrian security forces, killing at least one member. The state-run Alikhbaria channel cited an anonymous security official who said the ceasefire has been broken. The Defense Ministry has not issued any formal statement. The Observatory said three Syrian security forces personnel were killed "as clashes erupted with local factions around Tal Hadid in the western Sweida countryside". The Observatory also reported the death of a "local fighter". Tal Hadid, controlled by government security forces, is a "key control point" at a relatively high altitude, according to the monitor, allowing whoever holds it to overlook neighbouring areas. Fighting also erupted around the city of Thaala, the Observatory said, "following bombardment of the area with shells and heavy weapons launched from areas under the control of government forces, while the sound of explosions and gunfire was heard in various parts of Sweida city". Syrian state-run news agency SANA accused Druze groups loyal to influential spiritual leader Hikmat al-Hijri of breaching the ceasefire by attacking government troops in Tal Hadid, killing one security forces officer and injuring others. In a statement, the Syrian interior ministry accused local groups of "launching treacherous attacks against internal security forces in several locations and striking some villages with rockets and mortars, resulting in the killing and wounding of a number of security personnel". A security source told Syrian state television that government forces regained control of Tal Hadid and other areas that were attacked on Sunday. 'Force inhabitants to comply' According to the monitor and Sweida locals, Damascus has been imposing a siege on the province, with the Observatory saying the government wants to "force inhabitants to comply". On Friday, Sweida residents held protests across the province to demand the withdrawal of government forces and the opening of an aid corridor from neighbouring Jordan. The road linking Sweida to Damascus has been cut off since July 20. Damascus accuses Druze groups of cutting it, but the Observatory says armed groups allied with the government took control of the area and have been blocking travel. The United Nations was able to send some aid convoys to the province, but an interior ministry source told Syrian state television on Sunday that the humanitarian corridor was temporarily closed "until the area is secured after outlaw groups violated the ceasefire". FRANCE 24 report in Sweida: Tens of thousands displaced since clashes began 02:58 Syria's minority communities have expressed concerns for their safety since the fall of Assad, who had presented himself as a protector of minorities. While the new Syrian authorities have repeatedly stated their intent to protect all of the country's ethnic and religious groups, the killing of more than 1,700 mostly Alawite civilians along the coast in March and the violence in Sweida have raised doubts about their ability to manage sectarian tensions. The government has said it will investigate July's violence in Sweida, and a committee in charge of the inquiry held its first meeting on Saturday.
France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Sweida: Clashes rattle civilians as truce frays
09:19 03/08/2025 Israeli minister Ben-Gvir says he prayed at flashpoint holy site Middle East 03/08/2025 Humanitarian needs escalate in Sweida as truce frays Middle East 03/08/2025 'We want this war to be over': Israeli hostage families protest in Tel Aviv Middle East 03/08/2025 'My children sleep without food': Gaza aid fails to reach most desperate Middle East 03/08/2025 'Famine is unfolding. It's not pending anymore': Why isn't enough food reaching people in Gaza? Middle East 02/08/2025 FRANCE 24 report in Sweida: Tens of thousands displaced since clashes began Middle East 02/08/2025 Italy to begin air drops of aid into Gaza, minister says Middle East 01/08/2025 Trump's envoy visits an aid distribution center in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip Middle East 01/08/2025 France sending 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza, foreign minister says Middle East
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Hamas Israeli hostage videos 'appalling', EU foreign affairs chief Kallas says
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday denounced videos released by Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad showing two emaciated hostages held in Gaza as "appalling" and called for the release of all remaining captives after nearly 22 months of war. The two Palestinian militant groups have over the past few days released three videos showing two hostages seized during the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The images of Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David have sparked strong reactions among Israelis, fuelling renewed calls to reach a truce and hostage release deal without delay. 'Famine is unfolding. It's not pending anymore': Why isn't enough food reaching people in Gaza? 15:25 A statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office late Saturday said he had spoken with the families of the two hostages and "expressed profound shock over the materials distributed by the terror organisations". Netanyahu "told the families that the efforts to return all our hostages are ongoing", the statement added. Earlier in the day, tens of thousands of people had rallied in the coastal hub of Tel Aviv to urge Netanyahu's government to secure the release of the remaining captives. In the clips shared by the Palestinian Islamist groups, 21-year-old Braslavski, a German-Israeli dual national, and 24-year-old David both appear weak and malnourished. There was particular outrage in Israel over images of David, who appeared to be digging what he said in the staged video was his own grave. The videos make references to the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where UN-mandated experts have warned a "famine is unfolding". Kallas said the images "are appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas", calling for the release of "all hostages ... immediately and unconditionally". 'Hamas must disarm' Kallas said in the same post on X that "Hamas must disarm and end its rule in Gaza" – demands endorsed earlier this week by Arab countries, including key mediators Qatar and Egypt. She added that "large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need". Israel has heavily restricted the entry of aid into Gaza, which was already under blockade for 15 years before the war began. Six more people died of starvation and malnutrition in the besieged territory over the past 24 hours, its health ministry said, raising the toll of those starving to death to 175, including 93 children, since the war began, according to the ministry's figures. 'My children sleep without food': Gaza aid fails to reach most desperate 02:26 On Sunday, Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli troops killed nine Palestinians who were waiting to collect food rations from a site operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) near the southern city of Rafah. "The soldiers opened fire on people. I was there, no one posed any threat" to the Israeli forces, 31-year-old witness Jabr al-Shaer told AFP by phone. There was no comment from the military. Five more people were killed near a different GHF aid site in central Gaza on Sunday, while Israeli attacks elsewhere killed another five people, said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal. 'Emaciated and desperate' Israeli newspapers dedicated their front pages on Sunday to the plight of the hostages, with Maariv decrying "hell in Gaza" and Yedioth Ahronoth showing a "malnourished, emaciated and desperate" David. Left-leaning Haaretz declared that "Netanyahu is in no rush" to rescue the captives, echoing claims by critics that the longtime leader has prolonged the war for his own political survival. Braslavski and David are among the 49 hostages taken during Hamas's 2023 attack who are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Most of the 251 hostages seized in the attack have been released during two short-lived truces in the war, some in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody. Hamas's 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,430 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN. 'Provocation' In Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on Sunday, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a filmed statement that "the response to Hamas's horror videos" should include Gaza's occupation and plans for the "voluntary emigration" of its people. The video was taken at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site, which is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, though they are barred from praying there under a long-standing convention. Jordan, which acts as the site's custodian, condemned the minister's latest visit there as "an unacceptable provocation", while Hamas called it "a deepening of the ongoing aggression against our Palestinian people". Netanyahu's office said in a statement that "Israel's policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change".
