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

According to the BBC, a group of between 30 and 50 critically ill and injured Palestinian children will be evacuated from Gaza to the United Kingdom for medical care in the coming weeks. They will be the first children admitted to the United Kingdom for medical care as part of a government initiative being coordinated by the Foreign Office, Home Office, and the 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 transfer sick and injured children from Gaza to the UK "without delay.

Last week, a cross-party coalition of96 MPs cautioned that children were in danger of imminent death as a result of the decimation of Gaza's healthcare system, and that any barriers to evacuation should be immediately removed. Any Gazan children have already been admitted for medical care through an initiative of the group Project Pure Hope (PPH), but the government has so far not evacuated any of the conflict through its own initiative. The government said in August that plans to bring more children to the United Kingdom for medical care were being carried out

at speed. According to internationally accepted clinical protocols, patients needing lifesaving, specialized care should be referred to by the doctor or medical specialist treating the patient. A referral does not guarantee that an evacuation will be granted. The Ministry of Health Referral Committee in Gaza then investigates the situation, determines the priority, and authorizes medical evacuation. This is the time when the WHO will coordinate documents with prospective host countries, obtain security clearance from 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 unknown which third country the children will travel through on their way to the United Kingdom, and it is uncertain how many children will be affected or if further organizations will follow. The host country has agreed to pay for the patient and their companions' housing and living needs. Given the difficulties of returning children to Gaza, many will enter the asylum system after completing treatment, as returning patients must be able to obtain the services they need. According to UN charity UNicef, more than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since the Gaza war started in October 2023. Since the start of the war, the UK has provided funds to Gazans that are undergoing medical care in the area, and has also been working with Jordan to bring airdrop assistance into the territory. Children brought to the United Kingdom under the government scheme will be treated on the NHS. The government announced that an all-party taskforce was coordinating to develop a strategy to

. Biometric testing would be carried out before children and carers before they fly, according to the Home Office, who has confirmed that biometric checks will be carriedout. Since the start of the war, thousands of Palestinians have been evacuated from Gaza to other countries, including more than 180 adults and children to Italy. Experts have warned that the UN has warned of widespread hUNger in Gaza, with experts advising in a study last month that the