UK plans to bring over 100 critically ill children from Gaza for treatment; humanitarian groups urge swift action

In response to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, the UK government has announced a humanitarian initiative to bring more than 100 critically injured and ill children to the UK for medical treatment. Under this program, announced on Sunday, the children will soon receive care under the NHS (National Health Service).

While human rights and health aid organizations have welcomed the move, they caution that any delay could result in more deaths. Many children have already died due to delayed medical attention, or have had to be evacuated to other countries for urgent care.

Omar Din, co-founder of the charity Project Pure Hope (PPH) and an NHS primary care executive, said:

“In the past, we’ve lost children who were already on the list because the approval process took too long. This time, the government must act swiftly.”

The charity has previously brought three children to the UK this year for treatment under private initiatives. This experience will now help guide the new government-led program.

Din added:

“There is still time to make a difference. Many children are still alive and urgently need treatment. But truthfully, this should have started much earlier.”

The announcement comes as Gaza faces an escalating humanitarian disaster. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 12,500 patients urgently need to be evacuated from Gaza for treatment. However, due to aid blockades and war conditions, evacuation is often impossible.

Meanwhile, a charity has recently taken legal action against the UK Home Office and Foreign Office for delays in approving the evacuation of Gaza’s children. Since November last year, they had been urging the Prime Minister to act. According to their records, 71 children have died during this period due to lack of necessary treatment.

Another charity, Children Not Numbers (CNN), reports that paperwork for 60 children is already complete and only waiting for approval.

Organizations say there are numerous UK doctors, nurses, and volunteers ready to provide their time and resources to help.

“We have a strong private healthcare sector alongside the NHS. If the government supports us, we can help many more children,” said Din.

They also noted that several children have already received treatment in Italy, Jordan, and the UAE. One child, with 40% of her body suffering from fourth-degree burns, could not be brought to the UK due to delays and had to be sent to Italy in June.

A government spokesperson said that an interdepartmental taskforce has been formed, and implementation of the plan is progressing rapidly.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office added:

“We are moving forward with plans to evacuate more children from Gaza and provide them treatment. Where the UK is best placed to offer care, we will act directly.”

Humanitarian groups stress there is no time left to waste. The infrastructure, expertise, and goodwill are all in place — what’s needed now is fast decision-making and execution.