First group of Gaza children to be brought to UK 'in coming weeks'

A group of between 30 and 50 critically ill and injured Palestinian children will be evacuated from Gaza to the UK for medical treatment in the coming weeks, the BBC understands.

They would be the first children brought to the UK for treatment as part of a government operation being coordinated by the Foreign Office, Home Office and Department of Health.

The children will be selected according to need by doctors working for the Hamas-run health ministry, before the World Health Organization coordinates travel.

It comes after some MPs wrote a letter to the government urging them to bring sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK "without delay".

In a letter last week, a cross-party group of 96 MPs warned that children were at risk of imminent death due to the "decimation" of the healthcare system in Gaza and any barriers to evacuation should be immediately lifted.

Some Gazan children have already been brought privately to the UK for medical treatment through an initiative by the organisation Project Pure Hope (PPH), but the government has so far not evacuated any through its own scheme during the conflict.

Earlier in August, the government said that plans to bring more children to the UK for medical treatment were being carried out "at pace".

Patients needing lifesaving, specialized care would be prioritised for referral by the doctor treating the patient or medical specialist, according to standardised clinical protocols. A referral is no guarantee of evacuation being granted.

The Ministry of Health Referral Committee in Gaza then reviews the case, decides the priority, and approves the case for medical evacuation.

This is the point when the WHO steps in to coordinate documents with potential host countries, get security clearance from the Israeli authorities, and organise travel.

Sick children will travel from hospital with family members, usually one adult and up to three children, via a third country, where biometric data will be collected.

It is unclear which third country the children will transit through on their way to the UK, exactly how many children will be involved, or whether further groups will follow.

The host country agrees to cover the cost of treatment, including mental health support, as well as housing and living needs for the patient and their companions.

Given the challenge of returning children to Gaza, it is understood some may enter the asylum system after completing treatment, as returning patients must be able to access the care they need.

More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since the war in Gaza begun in October 2023, according to the UN charity Unicef.

Since the start of the war, the UK has provided funds so that injured Gazans can be treated by hospitals in the region and has also been working with Jordan to airdrop aid into the territory.

Children brought to the UK under the government scheme will be treated on the NHS.

At the beginning of August, the government said that a cross-party taskforce was working to establish a plan to "evacuate children from Gaza who require urgent medical care... as quickly as possible".

The Home Office previously said biometric checks would be carried out before children and carers before they travel.

Severely ill Palestinians have been evacuated from Gaza to other countries since the start of the war, including more than 180 adults and children to Italy.

The UN has warned of widespread malnutrition in Gaza, with experts backed by the organisation warning in a report last month that the "worst-case scenario" of famine is playing out in Gaza.

Israel has insisted there are no restrictions on aid deliveries into Gaza, and has accused the UN and other aid agencies of failing to deliver it.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli military operation began, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Israel launched its offensive in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.