The French National Court for Asylum (CNDA) has ruled that Palestinians from the Gaza Strip who are not under the protection of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) can be granted refugee status under the 1951 Geneva Convention. This decision, taken on July 11, is the first of its kind in France and sets an important legal precedent, the Anadolu Agency reported, reports News.bg.
The case concerns a woman and her minor son from northern Gaza, who entered France with the assistance of the French embassy in Cairo using consular passports. They were initially granted subsidiary protection by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees (OFPRA), but the CNDA considered that the conditions in Gaza justified granting them full refugee status.
The court held that since the ceasefire of 19 January 2025, Israeli military actions, including the offensives in March 2025, constituted acts of persecution. The decision stressed that the methods of military action had led to massive destruction, a severe humanitarian crisis and endangered the lives of the civilian population. Israel controls a “substantial part“ of the territory of Gaza, the reasoning stated.
The CNDA ruled that although the mother and son do not have official citizenship, they could be considered persons with “nationality” within the meaning of the Geneva Convention, a basis for granting international protection in the event of a threat of persecution.
The family's lawyer, Maya Lino, told Le Monde that while the practical consequences of the decision are limited due to the difficult access to French territory for Gazans, the case has “substantial legal significance“ and could be the basis for future similar requests.