In an annex building at Orly Airport on Friday, April 25, the atmosphere was charged with emotion. It was the location for the largest operation to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza to France since October 7, 2023. Among those welcoming the arrivals were higher education and research officials, and some families eager to reunite with their loved ones.

This was the second phase of an operation launched by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the beginning of the war, initially focused on French nationals and their dependents in Gaza. This time, it was mainly Palestinians who arrived: 115 people, in addition to about 60 others already welcomed on April 18. Most were laureates of the national emergency hosting program for exiled scientists and artists (PAUSE) at the Collège de France, accompanied by their families, as well as scholarship students and those benefiting from family reunification systems.

Samah Al-Qrenawy waited, with a hint of nervousness, for the arrival of her husband and four of their children, whom she hadn't seen for a year and four months. She traveled from Lyon, where she was settled with her eldest son Islam, 15, who was severely injured during an Israeli attack. Both had been evacuated to Egypt in December 2023 and then to France a month later so that the teenager could receive medical care.

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