A group of severely ill children from Gaza has arrived in the UK to receive urgent NHS specialist treatment, the British government has confirmed. This marks the first group of children medically evacuated to the UK under a new government-led scheme.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ten children were evacuated along with 50 companions. Officials stated that families would receive full support during their stay.
First Arrivals in Scotland
On Monday, two critically ill children and their families landed in Scotland for immediate treatment. More children are expected to follow in the coming weeks, as the coordinated operation continues under the UK Foreign Office, Home Office, and Department of Health.
The children and their families were first evacuated from Gaza to Jordan, where they underwent security checks with assistance from British Embassy staff before traveling to the UK. Their identities have not been disclosed for security reasons.
Previous Efforts by NGOs
Before this government scheme, some Gazan children had been privately brought to the UK for treatment through Project Pure Hope. However, this is the first official medical evacuation organized directly by the UK during the ongoing conflict.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper highlighted the dire health crisis in Gaza, saying hospitals have been “decimated” and children are left without life-saving care. She also urged international protection for medical facilities and staff, alongside an urgent increase in medical supplies allowed into the territory.
NHS Care and Humanitarian Commitment
Health Secretary Wes Streeting stressed the UK’s commitment:
“Every child deserves the chance to heal, to play, to dream again. These young patients have seen horrors no child should ever witness. This evacuation reflects the best of our NHS values – compassion, care, and expertise when it matters most.”
The UK government is also preparing to help Palestinian students who have secured places at British universities.
Wider Context of the Gaza Crisis
Israel launched a major ground offensive on Gaza City on Tuesday, intensifying the humanitarian disaster. On the same day, a UN commission of inquiry accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza – a claim Israel’s foreign ministry categorically rejected as “distorted and false.”
The war began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Since then, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry reports over 64,964 Palestinians killed, nearly half of them women and children.
The UN has warned that the deepening offensive, combined with famine conditions already declared by a UN-backed body, risks pushing civilians into an “even deeper catastrophe.”
