Azerbaijan evacuates 14 Palestinian students from Gaza

At Palestine's request, Azerbaijan has evacuated 14 Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip who were awarded the right to pursue higher education in Azerbaijan under the "Heydar Aliyev International Education Grant" program, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said, Report informs.

The ongoing military operations and instability in Gaza had prevented the students-admitted last year and this year-from traveling to Azerbaijan, the MFA said.

Following appeals from the students and an official request from the Palestinian side, the Azerbaijani MFA coordinated efforts to facilitate their transfer.

The students were evacuated overland from Gaza to Jordan, and their flights from Amman to Baku were arranged via air transport.

The evacuation process began on September 17. As of this morning, 10 of the students have arrived at Heydar Aliyev International Airport, with the remaining four expected to arrive within hours.

Their safe transfer to Azerbaijan was made possible through the direct involvement of Azerbaijan's embassies in Israel and Jordan, support from its representative office in Palestine, and coordination with relevant authorities in Israel and Jordan over an extended period of negotiations.

Upon arrival, the students were received by representatives from the Ministry of Science and Education and assigned dormitory accommodations at their respective universities.

Of the 14 students, eight were selected by the State of Palestine and admitted to the program in 2024, while the remaining six were accepted this year.