Multitudes of Palestine refugee applications denied
In a complex legal and political environment, German administrative courts have been actively addressing the issue of delayed asylum applications from Palestinians, particularly those from Gaza.
The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) has been under scrutiny for its approach towards asylum applications from Palestine, citing the ongoing conflict and lack of clear information as reasons for deprioritizing these cases. This decision has led to a substantial drop in the number of Palestinian applications lodged in Germany, with the number falling from 634 in 2024 to only 185 in the first half of 2025.
However, court rulings have mostly favoured Palestinian asylum seekers, leading to legal pressure on BAMF to process cases more swiftly. By April 2025, there were approximately 187 favourable rulings for Palestinians contesting BAMF’s delay.
Refugee advocacy organizations such as Pro Asyl and human rights lawyers have criticized BAMF’s freeze as ignoring urgent humanitarian needs. They argue that the suspension is politically driven and inhumane, especially considering the real risks faced by Palestinians in Gaza under Israeli military actions.
Despite these criticisms, the Berlin Interior Ministry has declared the situation "uncertain," which BAMF has cited as justification for deprioritizing these cases. However, it appears that the BAMF has reassessed its stance, as it no longer cites the unclear war situation as a reason for not processing asylum applications from Gaza.
Notably, three refugees were granted protection directly by the court, and 48 proceedings were discontinued. These rulings typically involve so-called subsidiary protection.
The average time for a final decision for asylum seekers from Palestine has been significantly long, with an average of more than 15 months for a first BAMF decision in 2024. However, the lifting of the decision halt is now long overdue, according to some critics.
Asylum seekers from Gaza, as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem, have sued the authority for inactivity in processing their applications. If the BAMF examines a case substantively, a protection status is often granted. In 2024, this rate was 82 percent, and in the first half of 2025, it was 75 percent.
Some critics, such as Matthias Monroy, have criticized the Federal Office for not processing asylum applications from people from Gaza, while others, like Bünger, argue that Germany's complicity in the mass murder and indescribable crimes in Gaza warrants immediate action from the BAMF.
The overall asylum application numbers in Germany are declining, with Germany no longer the leading destination in the EU+, having been surpassed by Spain, Italy, and France in 2025. The profile of asylum seekers is shifting away from Palestinians, with a dominance of Afghans, Syrians, and Turks.
This situation reflects a complex legal and political environment where courts are pushing back against BAMF’s restrictive approach, but administrative practice remains cautious and slow due to the conflict context. Dozens of inactivity lawsuits from refugees from Palestinian territories are before German courts, indicating that this issue is far from resolved.
- Politics and general news have spotlighted the controversy surrounding Germany's policy and legislation regarding Palestinian migration, with human rights advocates and lawyers criticizing the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) for ignoring urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, war-and-conflicts that put Palestinians at risk.
- The ongoing legal battles between BAMF and Palestinian asylum seekers, particularly those from Gaza, have resulted in numerous favorable court rulings, forcing BAMF to reevaluate its delayed approach towards Palestinian asylum applications.
- Crime-and-justice debates have emerged as critics, like Matthias Monroy, accuse BAMF of inaction in processing asylum applications from Gaza, while others, such as Bünger, argue that Germany's complicity in the wars and crimes in Gaza warrant immediate action from the BAMF.
