The UK government is set to announce a taxpayer-funded scheme to evacuate seriously ill and injured children from Gaza to receive NHS treatment, with details expected within weeks. The initiative follows the arrival of three children earlier this year under a private scheme run by the charity Project Pure Hope.
A government spokesperson said: “We are taking forward plans to evacuate more children from Gaza who require urgent medical care, including bringing them to the UK for specialist treatment where that is the best option for their care. We are working at pace to do so as quickly as possible, with further details to be set out in due course.”
More than 50,000 children have been killed or injured in Gaza since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, according to Unicef data. The government scheme will operate alongside Project Pure Hope, which has already facilitated the treatment of a 15-year-old boy requiring complex facial reconstructive surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, as well as two girls with lifelong conditions.
The announcement comes after political pressure from more than 100 MPs, who signed a letter coordinated by Labour MP Stella Creasy calling for the evacuation of 30 severely ill children. A foreign affairs select committee report in July criticised the government for not supporting medical evacuations, and legal action was being considered on behalf of three critically ill children.
Other countries, including Italy, have already evacuated dozens of Palestinian children for treatment. The Sunday Times reported that up to 300 children could be brought to the UK under the scheme, accompanied by a parent or guardian, with biometric checks conducted by the Home Office. Project Pure Hope welcomed the government’s move and offered to share its expertise from nearly two years of successful evacuations.
The UK has also been working with Jordan to airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September if a ceasefire is not agreed.
