First students evacuated from Gaza to study in UK

A group of 34 students in Gaza with places at British universities have been evacuated and are due to arrive in the UK within days.

It is the first time since the conflict began that people have been helped to leave the Strip in order to study in the UK.

They are now in a third country in the region for visa biometric checks before completing their journey to the UK.

All 34 have fully funded scholarships and have received support from the UK government to leave Gaza.

The group, which includes at least four medical doctors, were assisted in leaving the Strip on Wednesday.

They are expected to be brought to the UK early next week to take up their university places.

One of the students who has been evacuated told the BBC that they are tired but well. They described the last 48 hours as “very intense” and said that it had been “challenging” to leave behind family members and other students still awaiting evacuation.

The group includes scholars under the Chevening Scholarship, a mostly government-funded scheme for international students to study a one-year master’s degree in the UK.

The evacuation follows months of campaigning by politicians, academics, and others on behalf of more than 100 Palestinian students holding offers from UK universities this year.

It remains unclear when the next group of eligible students might be evacuated.

“We remain hopeful that the UK government will support all eligible students to be evacuated and are aware of at least 35 students with full scholarships who are still trapped in Gaza,” Dr Nora Parr, a University of Birmingham researcher who has been coordinating efforts to support the students, told the BBC.

She added: “We are concerned about students with dependents. Four mothers and one father had to decline their places on this week’s evacuation as they would not leave their children behind.”

The BBC has approached the Foreign Office for comment.

Earlier this week, a group of severely ill children arrived in the UK from Gaza for urgent NHS specialist medical care.

Israel launched a major ground offensive on Gaza City on Tuesday.

On the same day, a United Nations commission of inquiry found Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel’s foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the report, denouncing it as “distorted and false”.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to an attack led by Hamas militants on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 65,141 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.