A Palestinian Former Employee Of The Swiss Foreign Ministry Makes Allegations

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Jaser Abu Mousa was no minor figure at the office of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Gaza. He was the mission's most senior local staff member. He managed Switzerland's programmes in the enclave, provided political analysis and was responsible for the security of the office and Swiss diplomats visiting Gaza. This content was published on September 3, 2026 - 09:00 7 minutes Malika Nedir, Julie Liardet, Pierrik Jordan, RTS

Swiss public broadcaster RTS has seen correspondence showing just how much he was respected and taken seriously by the SDC office in Ramallah in the West Bank, to which he reported.

But Jaser Abu Mousa's life was turned upside down following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. His wife and two of his children were killed in an Israeli air strike.

Evacuated to the United Arab Emirates

In December 2023, Jaser Abu Mousa and his two remaining children were evacuated to the United Arab Emirates with Switzerland's help. In Abu Dhabi, his son Abdullah underwent several operations, while his daughter Sham was treated for burns.

The family was housed in a refugee camp. For months, Jaser Abu Mousa appealed to Switzerland via the SDC for help while waiting for a humanitarian visa.

“Every time I spoke to my office in Ramallah, I asked for a visa for Switzerland. We were living in a camp, but it was a kind of captivity. That was no life at all,” says Jaser Abu Mousa in the RTS programme Tout un monde.“I applied for several jobs in the United Arab Emirates, but as soon as they found out I didn't have a residence permit, I was turned down,” he continues.

“I really did exhaust every possible option to get out of there, but Switzerland prevented me from doing so. I received a brutal message from the head of personnel at the SDC in Ramallah, which said: 'There is no visa for you',” he says. In some messages, Jaser Abu Mousa's superiors advised him to apply for a visa in Germany, where his sister lives.

Jaser Abu Mousa later submitted a second application for a humanitarian visa from the US, where he was able to travel temporarily thanks to a scholarship.

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