A child is flown out of the Gaza Strip.Image: keystone
Last year, Switzerland took in 20 injured children from the Gaza Strip and their family members. The Federal Council is now taking stock.
May 16, 2026, 5:58 p.mMay 16, 2026, 5:58 p.m
Last autumn, Switzerland, under the leadership of Justice Minister Beat Jans (SP), had 20 seriously injured children evacuated from the Gaza Strip. There were also 78 family members (42 of them children) who accompanied the underage patients. The flight costs of 600,000 francs were covered by the foreign ministry, and the ten receiving cantons cover the medical expenses, unless the hospitals or health insurance companies do so. The humanitarian campaign sparked mixed reactions from politicians.
All 98 people from the war-torn Gaza Strip have applied for asylum. Federal Councilor Jans expects a longer stay. Due to the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, a return is currently unreasonable, he said in the National Council in December. There is currently a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
What about the asylum requests from Gaza refugees? In response to one interpellation by National Councilor Mike Egger (SVP/SG), the Federal Council presents its first balance sheet under immigration law. 37 people have received provisional admission. A provisional admission means that when the situation in the Gaza Strip has calmed down and stabilized, these people must return. The asylum process is still ongoing for 61 people.
Five applicants are stateless and are therefore entitled to a residence permit. This is a regular residence permit that has various advantages over temporary admission, such as higher social benefits and, above all, better protection against deportation. With the residence permit, access to the job market is also easier.
Doctors in Gaza wanted to amputate foot
Palestinians who apply for asylum are not automatically considered stateless. Many applicants have Syrian or Israeli citizenship. However, it is quite possible that there are other stateless persons among the 61 applicants who have not yet received a decision.
How are the injured children and their relatives doing? The federal government does not keep track of this. The Geneva University Hospital reports that at the beginning of May it was still providing outpatient care to 16 children and young people from the Gaza Strip. The aunt of eight-year-old Jena told Swiss Italian-language radio and television: “We are glad that she is receiving good treatment here in Switzerland. In Gaza the doctors wanted to amputate her foot and we didn’t accept that.” After treatment at the children’s hospital in Bellinzona, Jena can now walk again, she has gained weight and has also learned a bit of Italian. (aargauerzeitung.ch)