Gaza Student Leaves France Over Anti-Semitic Social Media Controversy

Khabor Wala Desk

Published: 4th August 2025, 2:11 PM

Gaza Student Leaves France Over Anti-Semitic Social Media Controversy

Photo: Collected

A student from Gaza, who had been studying in France on a government scholarship, has departed for Qatar after being ordered to leave the country due to anti-Semitic content discovered on her social media accounts, France’s foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday.

Key Details	Information
Student’s Name	Nour Attaalah
Nationality	Palestinian (from Gaza)
Scholarship	French government-funded, part of Gaza student programme
Original Institution	Sciences Po Lille (planned admission for autumn)
Date of Arrival in France	11 July
Date of Departure	4 August (to Qatar)
Allegation	Anti-Semitic posts on social media, including calls to violence
Legal Action	Judicial investigation for condoning terrorism
Investigation Opened	Into how the posts were not detected prior to visa approval
Status of Posts	Since deleted; authenticity of screenshots unverified by AFP

In a formal statement, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot emphasised the “unacceptable nature” of Ms Attaalah’s comments, which were allegedly made prior to her arrival in France.

“Given their seriousness, Ms Attaalah could not remain on French territory,” the ministry stated, adding that she had left for Qatar to continue her studies.

Legal and Institutional Reactions

A judicial investigation has been launched into the case on grounds of “condoning terrorism”, along with a parallel probe into why the student’s previous online activity had not been flagged during the visa screening process.

The controversy has prompted France to freeze all current student evacuation programmes from Gaza until the inquiries are complete. Authorities have not disclosed how many students may be affected, citing privacy concerns.

Lawyer’s Response

Ms Attaalah’s lawyer, Ossama Dahmane, stated that she had opted to leave the country in a “spirit of appeasement” and to ensure her safety, despite firmly denying the accusations.

“The alleged facts are largely based on shared tweets taken out of context,” Dahmane told AFP.

While AFP has been unable to independently verify the screenshots circulating on social media, Sciences Po Lille, the academic institution she was scheduled to join, confirmed that the social media comments in question were indeed authentic—though they declined to provide further detail.

Broader Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, France has welcomed several hundred students from Gaza on humanitarian and academic grounds. This incident, however, has raised pressing questions about vetting procedures, digital due diligence, and the balance between security and academic opportunity.

The case of Nour Attaalah now stands at the intersection of international education, free speech, and national security—drawing sharp public and political attention in both France and beyond.