Charity urges Starmer to allow 2 children from Gaza entry to UK for lifesaving treatment
One of the children, three-year-old Haitham, was badly burned when an Israeli airstrike hit the family home, killing his father and pregnant mother, Sky News reported.
He has been left with burns across 35 percent of his body and is being treated in Nasser hospital, the last working medical facility in southern Gaza.
UK charity calls on government to rescue two children in Gaza.
Our special correspondent @AlexCrawfordSky spoke with doctors treating Haitham who are worried he might not survive.
Watch our special programme on the impact of the war in Gaza at 9pm BST https://t.co/vWCZBXT2KW pic.twitter.com/LWLjMw6a59
— Sky News (@SkyNews) May 29, 2025
British surgeon Dr. Victoria Rose, who is treating Haitham, said she is worried he might not survive because the hospital no longer has the resources to look after him properly.
'It's a massive burn for a little guy like this,' Rose said. 'He's so adorable. His eyelids are burnt. His hands are burnt. His feet are burnt.'
Referring to the renewed violence in Gaza, she said: 'Every time I come, I say it's really bad, but this is on a completely different scale now. It's mass casualties. It's utter carnage.
'We are incapable of getting through this volume. We don't have the personnel. We don't have the medical supplies. And we really don't have the facilities.
'We are the last standing hospital in the south of Gaza. We really are on our knees now.'
Haitham's grandfather, Hatem Karara, said Haitham had also suffered internal bleeding.
He said: 'What did these children do wrong to suffer such injuries. To be burned and bombed? We ask God to grant them healing.'
The second child identified by the UK-based charity Project Pure Hope is one-year-old Karam, who is suffering from a rare birth defect in which nerves are missing from parts of the bowel.
His protruding intestine could easily be operated on with the right skills and equipment available in the UK.
An initial operation was carried out in Rafah, but when his family was forced to flee to Khan Younis, Karam's condition worsened, his mother Manal Nayef Mostafa Adra said.
She said a foreign doctor told her that the surgery needs to be redone outside of Gaza.
Omar Dinn, co-founder of Project Pure Hope, said the charity would fully fund bringing the children to the UK.
He said the UK government had made strong statements recently condemning Israel's killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the blocking of aid supplies, and now had the opportunity to act.
'We're giving them an action, which is the ability to allow two more children to come to the UK for privately funded medical treatment and to save their lives,' he said.
'If we don't act for these two children now, it's very likely that the outcome will be nothing but death.'
Two girls from Gaza with serious health conditions were flown to the UK earlier this month for specialist treatment. But only three Palestinian children have been allowed into the UK for healthcare since Israel launched its devastating offensive in Gaza 20 months ago.
Of the nearly 54,000 Palestinians killed in the war, 16,000 have been children.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Gaza war deepens Israel's internal divisions
As it drags on into its twenty-second month, Israel's war in Gaza has increasingly set friends and families against one another and sharpened existing political and cultural divides. Hostage families and peace activists are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the remaining captives abducted during the October 2023 attacks. Right-wing members of Netanyahu's cabinet, meanwhile, see the war as an opportunity to occupy and annex more Palestinian territory, despite mounting international criticism. The debate has fractured Israeli society, strained personal relationships, and eroded national unity at what many consider the country's moment of greatest need during its longest-ever war. 'As the war continues, we become more and more divided,' said Emanuel Yitzchak Levi, a 29-year-old poet, schoolteacher, and peace activist from Israel's religious left who attended a peace meeting in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square. 'It's really hard to keep being a friend, or family, a good son, a good brother to someone that's—from your point of view—supporting crimes against humanity,' he told AFP. 'And I think it's also hard for them to support me if they think I betrayed my own country.' As if to underscore the tension, a cyclist stopped to shout 'traitors' at the gathering, accusing activists of playing into Hamas's hands. No flowers Dvir Berko, a 36-year-old IT worker, paused his scooter journey through downtown Tel Aviv to offer a more measured critique of the peace activists' call for a ceasefire. Berko and others accused international bodies of exaggerating the threat of starvation in Gaza. He argued that Israel should withhold aid until the remaining 49 hostages are released. 'The Palestinian people, they're controlled by Hamas. Hamas takes their food. Hamas starts this war, and in every war that happens, bad things are going to happen. You're not going to send the other side flowers,' he said. 'So, if they open a war, they should realize and understand what's going to happen after they open the war.' Voices like Berko's reflect the deepening polarization in Israeli society since Hamas's October 2023 attacks, which left 1,219 people dead, according to Israeli authorities. Independent journalist Meron Rapoport, a former senior editor at the liberal daily Haaretz, told AFP that the divisions had been building long before the war. Hamas's attack initially triggered a wave of unity, but as the war dragged on and Israel's conduct came under international scrutiny, attitudes on the political right and left have hardened. Political motives 'The moment Hamas acted there was a coming together,' Rapoport said. 'Nearly everyone saw it as a just war. 'As the war went on, it has made people come to the conclusion that the central motivations are not military reasons but political ones.' According to a survey conducted between July 24 and 28 by the Institute for National Security Studies, involving 803 Jewish and 151 Arab respondents, Israelis narrowly blamed Hamas for delays in reaching a hostage release deal. Only 24 percent of Israeli Jews said they were distressed or 'very distressed' by the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where, according to UN-mandated reports, 'a famine is unfolding' and civilians are often killed while seeking food. Still, there is public support for the families of hostages. Many of them have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war to protect his political standing. 'In Israel there's mandatory army service,' said Mika Almog, 50, an author and peace activist with the It's Time Coalition. 'So these soldiers are our children, and they are being sent to die in a false criminal war that is still going on for nothing other than political reasons.' In an open letter published Monday, 550 former top diplomats, military officers, and intelligence chiefs urged US President Donald Trump to tell Netanyahu that the military phase of the war is over and that a hostage deal must now be the priority. 'At first this war was a just war, a defensive war. But when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war,' said Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet internal security service. The conflict, he warned in an accompanying video, 'is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity.' His declaration, shared by the very figures who once prosecuted Israel's wars, echoed the message long carried by peace activists who have often protested against them. 'Awful period' Avi Ofer, a 70-year-old biblical archaeologist and peace campaigner from a kibbutz, wore a yellow ribbon marked with the war's duration—'667' days—at a Tel Aviv rally. 'This is the most awful period in my life,' he said, visibly emotional. 'Yes, Hamas are war criminals. We know what they do. The war was justified at first. At the beginning it was not a genocide.' Few Israelis use the word 'genocide,' but many are aware that the International Court of Justice is considering whether Israel has breached the Genocide Convention in Gaza. While only a minority voice concern over the humanitarian toll, many Israelis worry the war could turn their country into an international pariah—and that their conscripted children may one day be treated as war crimes suspects abroad. Israel and Netanyahu, with US support, have firmly rejected the ICJ case in The Hague.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Gaza war deepens Israel's divides
TEL AVIV: As it grinds on well into its twenty-second month, Israel's war in Gaza has set friends and families against one another and sharpened existing political and cultural divides. Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the remaining captives abducted during the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Right-wing members of Netanyahu's cabinet, meanwhile, want to seize the moment to occupy and annex more Palestinian land, at the risk of sparking further international criticism. The debate has divided the country and strained private relationships, undermining national unity at Israel's moment of greatest need in the midst of its longest war. 'As the war continues we become more and more divided,' said Emanuel Yitzchak Levi, a 29-year-old poet, schoolteacher and peace activist from Israel's religious left who attended a peace meeting at Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square. 'It's really hard to keep being a friend, or family, a good son, a good brother to someone that's — from your point of view — supporting crimes against humanity,' he told AFP. 'And I think it's also hard for them to support me if they think I betrayed my own country.' As if to underline this point, a tall, dark-haired cyclist angered by the gathering pulled up his bike to shout 'traitors' at the attendees and to accuse activists of playing into Hamas's hands. Dvir Berko, a 36-year-old worker at one of the city's many IT startups, paused his scooter journey across downtown Tel Aviv to share a more reasoned critique of the peace activists' call for a ceasefire. Berko and others accused international bodies of exaggerating the threat of starvation in Gaza, and he told AFP that Israel should withhold aid until the remaining 49 hostages are freed. 'The Palestinian people, they're controlled by Hamas. Hamas takes their food. Hamas starts this war and, in every war that happens, bad things are going to happen. You're not going to send the other side flowers,' he argued. 'So, if they open a war, they should realize and understand what's going to happen after they open the war.' The raised voices in Tel Aviv reflect a deepening polarization in Israeli society since Hamas's October 2023 attacks left 1,219 people dead, independent journalist Meron Rapoport told AFP. Rapoport, a former senior editor at liberal daily Haaretz, noted that Israel had been divided before the latest conflict, and had even seen huge anti-corruption protests against Netanyahu and perceived threats to judicial independence. Hamas's attack initially triggered a wave of national unity, but as the conflict has dragged on and Israel's conduct has come under international criticism, attitudes on the right and left have diverged and hardened. 'The moment Hamas acted there was a coming together,' Rapoport said. 'Nearly everyone saw it as a just war. 'As the war went on it has made people come to the conclusion that the central motivations are not military reasons but political ones.' According to a survey conducted between July 24 and 28 by the Institute for National Security Studies, with 803 Jewish and 151 Arab respondents, Israelis narrowly see Hamas as primarily to blame for the delay in reaching a deal on freeing the hostages. Only 24 percent of Israeli Jews are distressed or 'very distressed' by the humanitarian situation in Gaza — where, according to UN-mandated reports, 'a famine is unfolding' and Palestinian civilians are often killed while seeking food. But there is support for the families of the Israeli hostages, many of whom have accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war artificially to strengthen his own political position. 'In Israel there's a mandatory army service,' said Mika Almog, 50, an author and peace activist with the It's Time Coalition. 'So these soldiers are our children and they are being sent to die in a false criminal war that is still going on for nothing other than political reasons.' In an open letter published Monday, 550 former top diplomats, military officers and spy chiefs urged US President Donald Trump to tell Netanyahu that the military stage of the war was already won and he must now focus on a hostage deal. 'At first this war was a just war, a defensive war, but when we achieved all military objectives, this war ceased to be a just war,' said Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet security service. The conflict 'is leading the State of Israel to lose its security and identity,' he warned in a video released to accompany the letter. This declaration by the security officers — those who until recently prosecuted Israel's overt and clandestine wars — echoed the views of the veteran peace activists that have long protested against them. Biblical archaeologist and kibbutz resident Avi Ofer is 70 years old and has long campaigned for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He and fellow activists wore yellow ribbons with the length in days of the war written on it: '667.' The rangy historian was close to tears as he told AFP: 'This is the most awful period in my life.' 'Yes, Hamas are war criminals. We know what they do. The war was justified at first. At the beginning it was not a genocide,' he said. Not many Israelis use the term 'genocide,' but they are aware that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is considering whether to rule on a complaint that the country has breached the Genocide Convention. While only a few are anguished about the threat of starvation and violence hanging over their neighbors, many are worried that Israel may become an international pariah — and that their conscript sons and daughters be treated like war crimes suspects when abroad. Israel and Netanyahu — with support from the United States — have denounced the case in The Hague.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
UK's Royal Ballet and Opera cancels Tel Aviv ‘Tosca' after staff protest over stance on Gaza
LONDON: The UK's Royal Ballet and Opera has canceled a planned 2026 production of 'Tosca' at the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, after nearly 200 members of staff signed a letter criticizing the organization's ties to Israel amid the war in Gaza, it was reported on Monday. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Company chief executive officer Alex Beard confirmed the decision in an internal message in which he acknowledged the letter and told staff: 'We have made the decision that our new production of 'Tosca' will not be going to Israel.' A total of 182 members of the Royal Opera and Ballet, including dancers, musicians, singers and technical staff, signed the open letter on Friday denouncing the 'recent actions and decisions taken by the RBO in the context of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.' In particular, they condemned the recent hiring out of the organization's 'Turandot' production to the Israeli Opera for performances that took place last month, The Guardian newspaper reported on Monday. 'The decision cannot be viewed as neutral,' they wrote. 'It is a deliberate alignment, materially and symbolically, with a government currently engaged in crimes against humanity. 'The venue itself, the Israeli Opera, publicly offers free tickets to soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces 'in recognition of their work,' as stated on their website. 'The RBO is clearly making a strong political statement by allowing its production and intellectual property to be presented in a space that openly rewards and legitimizes the very forces responsible for the daily killings of civilians in Gaza.' The letter demanded that the organization 'withholds our productions from institutions that legitimise and economically support a state engaged in the mass killing of civilians,' and rejects 'any current or future performances in Israel.' It also offered support for performer Daniel Perry, who raised a Palestinian flag on stage during a curtain call on July 19 in what the letter described as 'an act of courage and moral clarity.' It accused the RBO's director of opera, Oliver Mears, of reacting aggressively. 'We witnessed (Mears) attempting to forcibly snatch the flag from the performer, displaying visible anger and aggression in front of the entire audience,' the letter said. 'Far from being a neutral administrative intervention, (his) act was itself a loud political statement. It sent a clear message that any visible solidarity with Palestine would be met with hostility.' Perry has stated that Mears subsequently told him he would 'never work for the Opera House ever again.' The employees who signed the letter also highlighted what they described as a 'deafening' double standard, noting the organization's open support for Ukraine following the invasion by Russia in 2022, adding: 'We understood then that silence was unacceptable. Why is it different now?' In response, Beard said: 'I am appalled by the crisis in Gaza and recognize the deep emotional impact this has had across our community and wider society. On this issue, we acknowledge and respect the full range of views held by our staff, artists and audiences. 'The events at the curtain call on July 19 were without precedent. We have reflected carefully and reviewed our internal protocols. We always endeavor to act with integrity and compassion. We want our stage to remain a space for shared cultural appreciation, free from individual political statements.' The RBO's support for Ukraine was 'aligned with the global consensus at the time,' he added, but global geopolitics had become more complex and so the organization's stance had changed to ensure its actions reflected its 'purpose and values.' The Israeli Opera removed details of the production of 'Tosca' from its website but has not commented on the cancellation.
