UK plans to evacuate Gaza's sick children for urgent medical care

A cross-government effort is moving to evacuate sick and injured Palestinian children from Gaza to the United Kingdom for urgent medical treatment, with initial plans suggesting 30 children will be hosted by the end of the year and a first group of up to 50 could arrive in the coming weeks. The operation is being coordinated by the Foreign Office, Home Office and Department of Health, and relies on a third-country transit route in which biometric data will be collected. Children will be assessed on clinical need on a case-by-case basis, and some families may seek asylum after treatment. The government says the scheme is designed to deliver care through the NHS, alongside continued regional relief and humanitarian support.

Officials and lawmakers have been pressing the government to act with urgency. A cross-party group of MPs recently urged ministers to remove any barriers to evacuation and to publish a clear timetable for the process, warning that Gaza’s healthcare system has been decimated and that delays can cost lives. The campaign has been supported by medical charities on the ground, who stress that prioritising clinical necessity over political or bureaucratic...