The first group of critically ill and injured Palestinian children has been evacuated from Gaza and will arrive in the UK in the coming days to receive treatment through the National Health Service (NHS).
The operation, coordinated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Home Office, and the Department of Health, marks the first government-led medical evacuation of children from Gaza since the conflict began.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed the evacuation in an interview with the Daily Mirror. A Foreign Office source later told the BBC the report was accurate and that the children were due to land in Britain shortly.
Although Cooper did not disclose the exact number of children, the BBC understands the group consists of between 30 and 50 young patients. Each child may be accompanied by family members where necessary, according to the Mirror.
“It took a lot of diplomatic work to help them actually leave Gaza,” Cooper said. “But that work is underway and I’m determined to make sure we do our bit to help those injured families and also to help students get into their courses this autumn.”
The UK government is also working on evacuating Gazan students who hold offers from British universities. Until now, official evacuations had not been carried out, though some children have been brought privately for treatment under initiatives such as Project Pure Hope.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. The Hamas-run health ministry reported on Saturday that the bodies of 47 people killed by Israeli military strikes had reached hospitals in the past 24 hours.
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Since the UN-backed declaration of famine in Gaza City on 22 August, at least 142 deaths from starvation and malnutrition have been recorded, according to local health officials.
The World Health Organization previously warned that Gaza’s health system had been pushed “beyond breaking point” by Israel’s offensive. Israel, while disputing Gaza’s malnutrition figures, has said it is stepping up efforts to facilitate aid deliveries.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Since then, Gaza’s health ministry says at least 64,803 people have been killed in Israeli strikes.