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Two Palestinian girls from Gaza have become the first children allowed into the UK for specialist medical care since the conflict began in 2023, thanks to a private humanitarian initiative. Despite their successful treatment, comparisons with other European countries highlight the UK\u2019s limited role and raise ethical questions about its humanitarian commitments amid ongoing military support.<\/p>\n
Rana Qudieh and Haneen Abed, recently arrived in north London from Gaza, have been baking together, creating feteer meshaltet\u2014layers of flaky filo pastry drizzled with honey, a symbol of traditional Palestinian hospitality. Their small household includes their children: Qudieh\u2019s 13-year-old daughter Rama, who suffers from a chronic bowel condition, and Abed\u2019s two daughters, five-year-old Ghena, born with a congenital eye condition, and her 12-year-old sister, Hala. The families\u2019 arrival at the end of April 2025 marked a poignant milestone: they are the first\u2014and so far only\u2014children from Gaza permitted medical treatment in the UK since the war erupted in October 2023.<\/p>\n
Ghena underwent surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital to relieve pressure on her optic nerve, an operation impossible to carry out in Gaza where healthcare infrastructure has been devastated by the conflict. Rama\u2019s serious gastrointestinal condition is still under investigation after a biopsy was conducted under general anaesthetic. These cases highlight the dire shortages in Gaza\u2019s hospitals, many of which have been damaged or destroyed amid the ongoing violence. Medical care in the region is largely restricted to the most critical cases, making treatment for chronic or elective conditions extremely difficult or impossible to obtain.<\/p>\n
Their evacuation and ongoing medical care are thanks to Project Pure Hope, a UK-based humanitarian initiative founded by healthcare professionals and humanitarians, which has raised \u00a31.5 million privately to cover the costs of evacuation, accommodation, and private medical treatment for children from Gaza. The initiative stresses that this funding incurs no cost to the NHS or UK taxpayers. According to the project\u2019s leadership, the fundraising effort \u201chas given Rama a new life,\u201d a sentiment echoed by her mother, who said through an interpreter that she did not expect her daughter to receive such care or to have a long life given the conditions in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Despite such efforts, the UK government has approved visas for only these two children and one more set to arrive soon, while other countries in Europe, including Spain, Italy, Ireland, Norway, and Romania, have accepted significantly more children from Gaza. Over 7,000 patients have been evacuated from Gaza since the conflict began, 5,000 of whom are children, mostly to countries like Egypt, the UAE, and Qatar. Activists and medical professionals have openly questioned the UK\u2019s limited role. Victoria Rose, a London-based consultant plastic surgeon who has worked extensively in Gaza, expressed bewilderment at the UK\u2019s reluctance to take in more children for treatment. She highlighted the pressing need for timely interventions, such as cleft lip and palate repairs, which require surgeries at specific early developmental stages that can be conducted efficiently in UK hospitals renowned for their expertise.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, the UK has some of the best cleft lip and palate surgeons in the world,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just need to help out, as Europe has done. We haven\u2019t really taken our fair share.\u201d Rose criticised the government\u2019s slow response, noting that Italy has stepped in to assist children for whom UK visas were delayed. She also pointed out the seeming contradiction of the government\u2019s willingness to fund high-cost military equipment, such as parts for F-35 fighter jets, while resisting fully supporting humanitarian medical evacuations. Human rights groups have challenged the UK about continuing to supply military aircraft parts that may be used by Israel amidst the ongoing conflict, framing the medical evacuation policies as part of broader ethical questions.<\/p>\n
The Palestine Children\u2019s Relief Fund (PCRF) and the World Health Organization collaborated with Project Pure Hope to coordinate the evacuation. The young patients arrived in London from Egypt with their mothers and, in the case of Abed\u2019s family, accompanied by a sibling. Both children are now being treated privately in specialised units staffed by multidisciplinary teams that include surgeons, paediatricians, and psychological support workers. Temporary housing, translation services, and mental health support are also being provided, ensuring a holistic care environment beyond just medical interventions.<\/p>\n
The success of these evacuations was the culmination of 17 months of sustained negotiation and organisation involving UK clinicians, government bodies, humanitarian groups, and international partners. Project Pure Hope continues to push for more children to be allowed access to medical care in the UK, calling on the government to approve larger cohorts rather than requiring individual permissions case by case. Their continued efforts aim to provide urgently needed treatment to severely affected children from Gaza, highlighting both the overwhelming humanitarian need and the complex political challenges that accompany such life-saving interventions.<\/p>\n