The British government has finally evacuated Manar al-Houbi, a Gaza student who won a fully funded scholarship for a PhD at the University of Glasgow, along with her family from the war-torn territory. They have reached Jordan and will shortly travel to the UK, becoming the only family travelling together from Gaza whose evacuation the UK has facilitated.
In October, the Guardian highlighted al-Houbi's struggle after her family was denied entry to the UK despite her visa permitting them to accompany her. The UK had barred most international students from bringing dependants, but after her case was publicised, the Foreign Office reversed its stance, promising to support evacuations on a 'case-by-case basis'.
However, other students remain stranded. Wahhaj Muhammad, 32, a PhD student in Glasgow, was advised to evacuate alone and is still waiting for his wife and two children to join him. He described the uncertainty as consuming his life, saying it was difficult to settle or engage academically while his family live under constant threat. Amany Shaher, a 34-year-old mother of three, was due to begin a master's at the University of Bristol but refused to leave her children behind in Gaza, feeling nauseous at the suggestion. She condemned the expectation that a mother should part from her children, calling it 'dehumanising'.
Mohammed Aldalou, who has a scholarship for a research master's and PhD at the London School of Economics, has spent six months in what he called 'bureaucratic limbo' with British authorities. His five-year-old son is severely autistic and non-verbal, without treatment for two years, yet he has been urged to evacuate alone. He insisted he will not leave without his family, saying the decision was 'heartbreaking' and 'impossible'.
The UK's Gaza evacuation scheme, set to expire on 31 December 2025, has been described by students as plagued by delays, poor communication and uncertainty. Many say they have been pressured to travel without their children, despite the recent policy change. British officials said they remained 'hopeful' about future evacuations in the new year but have offered no guarantees, leaving students unsure whether their places will be deferred or lost entirely.
