UK Announces Plan to Evacuate Hundreds of Children from Gaza for Medical Treatment
The UK government is set to evacuate up to 300 children from Gaza for healthcare on the National Health Service.
LONDON: The UK government has announced plans to evacuate hundreds of children from Gaza for medical treatment.
This move follows months of painstaking work by Project Pure Hope, which has raised money from private donors to facilitate these evacuations.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, only three children have been granted visas to travel to the UK for vital medical care.
The new scheme is expected to run 'in parallel' with Project Pure Hope's efforts, aiming to provide necessary healthcare on the National Health Service (NHS).In addition to providing medical treatment, the plan includes ensuring the safety and security of the evacuated children.
Sources indicate that biometric and security checks will be conducted by Home Office staff before traveling to the UK.
The scheme will see children accompanied by a parent or guardian, with siblings also included where necessary.This announcement comes amid a larger humanitarian crisis affecting Gaza.
Over 7,000 individuals have been evacuated from Gaza on medical grounds since the war began, including 5,000 children, according to local health officials.
Many of these evacuees have traveled to neighboring Egypt and the Gulf for treatment.
The UN children's charity, UNICEF, estimates that between 50,000 and 200,000 children have been killed or wounded in the conflict.Meanwhile, earlier this week, 15-year-old Majd Al-Shaghnobi became the third child from Gaza to travel to the UK for medical care.
Accompanied by his mother and two siblings, he was greeted at London's Heathrow Airport with flowers.
Al-Shaghnobi suffered life-changing injuries after being struck by a tank shell in February 2024.
He will undergo treatment at Great Ormond Street children's hospital.Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to help bring more children from Gaza to the UK for medical assistance, reflecting a broader commitment among UK government officials to address the crisis.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper are believed to have orchestrated this new scheme.
This move follows months of painstaking work by Project Pure Hope, which has raised money from private donors to facilitate these evacuations.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, only three children have been granted visas to travel to the UK for vital medical care.
The new scheme is expected to run 'in parallel' with Project Pure Hope's efforts, aiming to provide necessary healthcare on the National Health Service (NHS).In addition to providing medical treatment, the plan includes ensuring the safety and security of the evacuated children.
Sources indicate that biometric and security checks will be conducted by Home Office staff before traveling to the UK.
The scheme will see children accompanied by a parent or guardian, with siblings also included where necessary.This announcement comes amid a larger humanitarian crisis affecting Gaza.
Over 7,000 individuals have been evacuated from Gaza on medical grounds since the war began, including 5,000 children, according to local health officials.
Many of these evacuees have traveled to neighboring Egypt and the Gulf for treatment.
The UN children's charity, UNICEF, estimates that between 50,000 and 200,000 children have been killed or wounded in the conflict.Meanwhile, earlier this week, 15-year-old Majd Al-Shaghnobi became the third child from Gaza to travel to the UK for medical care.
Accompanied by his mother and two siblings, he was greeted at London's Heathrow Airport with flowers.
Al-Shaghnobi suffered life-changing injuries after being struck by a tank shell in February 2024.
He will undergo treatment at Great Ormond Street children's hospital.Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to help bring more children from Gaza to the UK for medical assistance, reflecting a broader commitment among UK government officials to address the crisis.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper are believed to have orchestrated this new scheme.
