France will deport a Palestinian student from Gaza and suspend all evacuations from the territory while authorities review how she was cleared to enter despite antisemitic social media activity, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Friday in an interview with France Info radio.
Barrot said the woman “must leave the country” and that French and Israeli screening conducted before her arrival failed to flag what he called “antisemitic and unacceptable” content. He did not specify where she would be removed to.
The student – named by Barrot on X/Twitter as Nour Atallah – was also expelled from Sciences Po Lille, which said the posts ran counter to the university’s values.
Screenshots said to be from posts the student shared in September – circulating via pro-Israel accounts on X – show an image of Adolf Hitler and language that appears to call for the killing of Jews.
Barrot added that, pending the outcome of the inquiry, France is pausing its evacuations from Gaza – operations that have moved hundreds of people since October 7, 2023.
Earlier this week, he said Paris had been working to help journalists leave Gaza. It was not immediately clear when evacuations would resume.
Evacuated Gazans to undergo secondary screening
“No evacuation of any kind will take place until we have drawn conclusions from this investigation,” Barrot told France Info radio.
He added that all Gazans who have already entered France will face a second round of screening.
The case has ignited a political storm in Paris. Senior ministers condemned the online content, with officials saying it has been referred to judicial authorities. The interior minister characterized the material as tantamount to Hamas propaganda.