The government has agreed plans to allow around 40 students in Gaza to come to the UK in the coming weeks to take up funded university scholarships.
Nine have been told they will be given assistance to leave Gaza to pursue scholarships under the Chevening scheme, a predominantly government-funded initiative for international students to study one-year master’s degrees.
The understands the home secretary has also approved plans to help around 30 others who have fully funded scholarships through other private schemes.
They would be the first to leave Gaza to study in the UK since the Hamas-Israel war began in 2023. However, Israel must agree that each student can leave the territory.
Relations with Israel have deteriorated since the UK said it would recognise a Palestinian state in September if Israel did not meet certain conditions related to its war in Gaza.
There will also be considerable logistical challenges evacuating students from a war zone. They will be taken to a third country in the region for visa biometric checks before being brought to the UK.
A Home Office source described the plan as “complex and challenging”, but said that the home secretary had made it “crystal clear” that she wanted the students to take up their places in the UK”.
The approvals come a day after the reported that the nine Chevening students had been emailed about their study programmes.
The decision follows months of campaigning by politicians, academics, and others on behalf of more than 80 Palestinian students who hold offers from UK universities this year.
Although around 40 students are covered by the latest decision – there are others without funded places.
Several students have spoken to the in recent days, before the latest development, with some raising fears they might die before they can be evacuated.
Others have said they would find it difficult to leave loved ones behind.
The UK government is also planning to evacuate a group of critically ill and injured children to the UK for medical treatment in the coming weeks.
Other countries, including Italy, Ireland, and France, have already evacuated students. France however suspended its evacuation programme earlier this month after a Palestinian student in the country was accused of making antisemitic remarks online.
Israel launched its campaign in Gaza after Hamas killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 others in its attack on southern Israel in October 2023. More than 60,000 people have since been killed in Gaza, and Palestinians have largely been unable to leave the territory without diplomatic assistance.
