Has Hungary forgotten its Palestinian students trapped in war-torn Gaza?

Almost two dozen Palestinian students, each holding an acceptance letter from a Hungarian university and a fully funded scholarship from the Hungarian government, are stuck in Gaza. Only two Stipendium Hungaricum students have managed to escape the area; 23 are still there, hoping that Prime Minister Orbán’s membership of President Trump’s Board of Peace might secure a safe passage for them from the war-torn region.

‘We refuse to let war define our future’

As we reported earlier, 25 Palestinian students were stuck in Gaza, fearing they would lose their Stipendium Hungaricum scholarships and the chance of a better, more peaceful life. Nine of them had been accepted for the 2024/2025 academic year and had reached the deferral limit last summer.

One of the scholarship recipients messaged us their story at the time, explaining that most of them studied by candlelight or small flashlights owing to the drones and the war. Since the borders were closed, they could not leave, and there was no evacuation route for them either. Meanwhile, other countries such as Germany, France and Ireland evacuated their students from Gaza. ‘We study not because it is easy, but because we refuse to let war define our future,’ they wrote to us in July.

23 students remain in Gaza

We have now received an update from the same student. The message states that the situation remains unresolved, although two of the 25 trapped students managed to find alternative pathways to leave Gaza and are no longer part of this group.

“We hold official acceptance letters from Hungarian universities and fully-funded scholarships from the Hungarian government, but without safe passage or evacuation support, we face permanent cancellation of our places and loss of our educational opportunities. Hungary’s prominent role in the Gaza Peace Council / Board of Peace (with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s participation announced in January 2026 and signing in Davos) inspires hope for Gaza’s future. Extending practical assistance to us – as your official scholarship recipients – would align with building education, stability, and long-term peace.

We kindly request: An update to your previous article reflecting the current number (23) and ongoing urgency”, the SH recipient concluded.