As part of Italy’s ongoing commitment to Gaza, a new group of 49 Palestinian students has arrived to benefit from scholarships at Italian universities. Two special flights operated by the Guardia di Finanza (Italian Financial Police) recently departed from Amman, organised with the support of the Civil Protection Department, the European Civil Protection Mechanism, and the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI).
The students, who left Gaza yesterday for Jordan with assistance from our diplomatic and consular representations, will arrive this evening at Rome Ciampino Airport, with one group continuing on to Milan Linate. Representing the Italian Government, the students will be welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, who travelled to Amman to accompany the scholarship recipients.
They will also be greeted by representatives of the 22 universities hosting them across Italy: Bergamo, Brescia, Camerino, Catania, Ferrara, Milano Bicocca, Modena and Reggio Emilia, Napoli Federico II, Napoli Parthenope, Padova, Parma, Perugia (University of Perugia and University for Foreigners), Piemonte Orientale, Roma La Sapienza, Roma Tor Vergata, Siena (University for Foreigners), Torino (Polytechnic and University of Turin), Udine, Urbino, Varese-Insubria.
Thanks to the “university corridors” from Gaza, the total number of Palestinian students and researchers welcomed in Italy now stands at 88, within a special programme made possible through extensive diplomatic engagement with Israel, Jordan, and other transit countries, which currently allow Palestinians to leave Gaza only for medical evacuations or family reunifications.
Diplomatic efforts continue to facilitate the arrival of additional student groups. To date, the Italian university system has awarded over 150 scholarships to students and researchers from Gaza, most under the IUPALS project (Italian Universities for Palestinian Students), involving 41 universities across Italy.
Alongside the students, 16 Palestinian citizens travelling to reunite with family members in Italy will also arrive, bringing the total number of Palestinians welcomed in Italy to approximately 1,200.
