More Palestinians applied for international protection in Belgium during the first nine months of 2024 than in the whole of 2023, according to figures from the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, CGRA.
Last year, 3,249 Palestinians lodged applications, compared with 3,790 between January and September 2024.
Belgium remains the most popular country in the European Union (EU) for Palestinian asylum seekers. According to the CGRA, no other EU country receives as many applications from Palestinians.
"Around 90% of them claim to come from Gaza," CGRA spokesman Olivier Brasseur said.
The majority are Palestinians who left the country before 7 October 2023, the day Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israeli soil.
Nine out of ten Palestinians are able to stay in Belgium.
In 2023, Greece was the most popular country for Palestinians. As the southern border of the EU, the country is a destination for many asylum seekers. Greece recorded 6,713 Palestinian asylum seekers in 2023, compared with 1,659 between January and August this year.
Over the same period, Belgium registered 3,309 persons requesting asylum.
