Latest news with #ProjectPureHope
The National
5 hours ago
- Health
- The National
UK Government facing legal action over Gaza medical evacuations
Reports from The Guardian reveal a case has been brought against the Foreign Office and the Home Office on behalf of three children with life-threatening conditions. Lawyers argue ministers have failed to consider the severe lack of medical care in Gaza before denying evacuation requests. READ MORE: 'Israel killed my brother. My boycott app in his memory now has 11 million users' The legal claim highlights the UK's inconsistency, pointing out that Britain evacuated children from war zones in Bosnia and Ukraine, but has not done so for Gaza. Carolin Ott of Leigh Day, the law firm representing the children, told The Guardian: 'The UK Government has explained its failure on the basis that it supports treatment options in [[Gaza]] and the surrounding region and that there are visas available for privately funded medical treatment in the UK. 'However, these mechanisms are profoundly inadequate.' The children's families say evacuation is urgently needed. One child, aged two and referred to in the case as Child Y, suffers daily bleeding caused by an arteriovenous malformation in his cheek, leaving him in critical condition. The two other children, referred to as Child S, are siblings with cystinosis nephropathy, a chronic condition also known as leaky kidney. Both have developed kidney failure and may require transplants, and one sibling is now immobile as a result. Despite pressure from campaigners, the UK has not created a specific safe immigration route for these children. The genocide in Gaza has now lasted over 650 days. More than 17,000 of the 58,000 Palestinians killed were children, according to Gaza's health ministry. READ MORE: 'Time to take action': What it was like at the national Palestine demo in Edinburgh The World Health Organization estimates 12,500 [[Gaza]]ns require medical evacuation. As of April, over 7000 have been evacuated abroad, nearly 5000 of them children. As reported by The National, Dr Hani Isleem of Médecins Sans Frontières previously said that some countries fear that accepting patients will be seen as encouraging 'forced migration.' A UK Government spokesperson said they've funded healthcare for 500,000 Palestinians and backed initiatives like Project Pure Hope. However, only two children have reached the UK via this route, and government funding was denied. First Minister John Swinney recently wrote to Keir Starmer, urging him to 'engage' with Scotland over treating ill and injured Gazan children, though Starmer is yet to reply. The Government must respond to the legal challenge by 28 July.
Middle East Eye
4 days ago
- Health
- Middle East Eye
UK's Lammy urged to honour pledge to help evacuate injured children from Gaza
Britain has 'a clear moral obligation' to provide state-funded medical treatment in the UK to Palestinian children injured in the Gaza war, a doctor for a charity helping to evacuate children from the warzone has said. The comments from Dr Tareq Hailat of the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) came after Foreign Secretary David Lammy told MPs on Wednesday that he would be 'happy to do more' if requests for the medical evacuations of Palestinian children were made. In April, two girls from Gaza arrived in the UK, becoming the first Palestinian children to be evacuated to the country for specialist medical treatment, entirely funded by charitable donations. The evacuation came through the Project Pure Hope initiative in partnership with PCRF, 17 months after organisations and healthcare workers first started pushing for a legal pathway to bring children from Gaza to the UK for treatment. An earlier attempt to bring five children for treatment in January 2024 was unsuccessful when they were unable to obtain visas from the Home Office. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Meanwhile, the need for medical evacuations for children in Gaza, already overwhelming the short list of countries offering help, has only grown with Medicine Sans Frontiers pleading this week for more countries to open their doors. Currently, healthcare workers tell MEE that around 5,000 children are believed to be among at least 12,000 patients in Gaza that the World Health Organisation says need to be evacuated outside Gaza to access care. A UN-sponsored report warned this week that ten children a day are losing one or both limbs in Gaza due to Israel's assault on the Palestinian enclave. 'Power of the state' Lammy, testifying before the International Development Committee on Wednesday, was asked by Labour MP Sam Rushworth whether there was 'more that we can do for the children of Gaza'. Rushworth said he and other MPs had recently met with a British plastic surgeon who had just returned from Gaza and showed them video footage and images of children suffering in Gaza. 'Tens of thousands are orphans and many of them are dying because they are not able to receive medical treatment. To date, just two have entered the UK' - Sam Rushworth MP 'As you know, tens of thousands are orphans and many of them are dying because they are not able to receive medical treatment. To date, just two have entered the UK,' Rushworth said. 'I understand that there are complexities around this, but I know that I would be happy to take a Palestinian child into my home. I'd be happy to help fund their treatment, but we are not able to without the power of the state behind it.' Lammy responded: 'We have supported the [Project Pure] Hope charity initiative to bring children to the UK. I am happy to do more if those requests come in.' He then outlined British efforts to treat Palestinians in Gaza, including through field hospitals in Gaza run by UK Med and a polio vaccination campaign. 'I don't want to suggest that with hospitals bombed and lots of aid not able to get in that people aren't experiencing real medical emergencies, second by second and minute by minute in Gaza,' Lammy said. 'But we are doing a lot in the medical space particularly and will continue to do so. And if there are more children that we can work with [Project Pure] Hope and others to bring in, of course, we will do that.' Gaza's healthcare system has been devestated by Israel's 21-month assault on the enclave. MSF said this week that Israel, whose authorities must sign off on evacuations, has now "reduced medical evacuations to a minimum". Ten children a day losing a limb in Gaza, warns UN-backed body Read More » PCRF's Hailat told MEE that, unlike with Ukrainians, who received direct government support when they were brought to the UK for medical treatment, the two girls that came in April were funded privately "after 17 gruesome months of advocacy". "Now, with Israel severely limiting medical evacuations from Gaza since our first cases, Britain has a clear moral obligation: to treat Palestinian children with the same urgency and state backing as it did Ukrainians, and to press Israel to open and guarantee safe passage for those needing life-saving care," he said. Labour MP Kim Johnson, who has been pressing the government to bring more Palestinian children for treatment, said it was "disgraceful" the only two had been brought so far. "We need urgent, coordinated action - not passive promises," Johnson told MEE. "Every child deserves a chance at a healthy life, yet Palestinian children are being systematically denied this, while hundreds of Ukrainian children in need of healthcare were welcomed with open arms." Johnson said the government should lead other countries to commit to "a bloc-wide humanitarian effort to bring Gaza's children to safety". "It is utterly unjustifiable that we are refusing access to treatment to children from Gaza when we have the capacity and the expertise – we just need the political will."
ITV News
30-05-2025
- Health
- ITV News
Pressure mounts on UK to approve evacuation and treatment of two critically ill children in Gaza
International pressure is mounting on the UK government to assist with the evacuation of two critically ill children trapped in Gaza. Project Pure Hope, a charity comprised of medical professionals and humanitarians, has called on the prime minister and foreign secretary to intervene and approve the children's evacuation. Three-year-old Hatem was severely injured in a bomb blast that killed both his parents in Gaza. He is suffering from 30% burns and requires specialist treatment. Karam, who is one year old, suffers from a complex bowel condition and requires immediate surgical intervention. His condition has deteriorated significantly, and he is experiencing severe malnutrition. British plastic surgeon Victoria Rose, who is currently in Gaza, said: "We are losing children left, right, and centre from avoidable deaths. The situation is beyond critical. These children need immediate evacuation to survive." Hatem and Karam's evacuation has already been organised by Project Pure Hope, who say they will fully fund the medevac flights and ongoing medical treatment. "These children's lives depend on the UK government's help. We have already shown what is possible by bringing two other children to safety and initiating their treatment," Rose added. Speaking about the calls to evacuate these children, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, said: "The scale of the medical catastrophe for children and the population of Gaza is horrendous, and that's why we increased our aid. "What will end this suffering is a ceasefire but if there is more that we can do to end the suffering, of course, we will seek to do that." CEO of Project Pure Hope, Dr Farzana Rahman told ITV News she wanted the UK government to, "understand the urgency of these cases," adding the "survival of these children depends on it." "In terms of caring for injured children from Gaza the UK, compared to its European counterparts, is nowhere close to providing the level of care that the other European countries have." Dr Rahman said whilst the UK had so far evacuated and treated two children earlier this year, European counterparts had so far collectively helped over 100. "The public are very supportive, they recognise that children everywhere deserve a life with dignity. They deserve a right to access healthcare." "50% of Gaza's population are children and I think the devastating toll of both the physical and psychological injuries will manifest for generations to come." Ghena, five and Rama, 12, were the first children from Gaza to arrive in the UK for medical treatment with Project Pure Hope's help. ITV News Correspondent Rachel Younger and Senior Producer Roohi Hasan covered the story. The evacuation request comes as Gaza finds itself on the brink of starvation. More than 9,000 children who have been treated for malnutrition this year, according to the UN children's agency, and food security experts say cases are expected to rise. For more than two months, Israel has banned all food, medicine and other goods from entering the territory that is home to some two million Palestinians, as it continues to carry out waves of airstrikes and ground operations. After weeks of insisting Gaza had enough food, Israel relented in the face of international pressure last week and began allowing dozens of humanitarian trucks into the territory last week - including some carrying baby food. On Thursday, the White House announced Israel had accepted a new US proposal for a temporary ceasefire which would see a pause in fighting and the return of more hostages. Speaking to reporters White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Israel "backed and supported" the proposal. Responding to the proposal, top Hamas official Bassem Naim said: 'The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and continuing the killing and famine." He went on to claim the proposal "does not respond to any of our people's demands, foremost among which is stopping the war and famine.' Despite this Hamas have said they will study the proposed ceasefire but have yet to make a statement on whether they plan to accept its terms. Hamas had previously said it had agreed with Steve Witkoff on a 'general framework' of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire. Earlier this year, a ceasefire was implemented which saw the release of some hostages but it is believed Hamas still hold 58. When Israel broke the ceasefire agreement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said any future negotiations would take place "under fire." Recently Qatar, which has been assisting ceasefire negotiations, said "fundamental differences" remained between the two sides. Netanyahu has said Israel will only end the war when all hostages are released, Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and Israel controls Gaza indefinitely facilitating what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of its population. Whilst the suggestion of displacing Gaza's population has also been suggested by US President Donald Trump most of the international community has rejected it with some legal experts saying it would likely violate international law. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners' release, a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'What did they do to be burned and bombed?': Charity calls on UK to offer Gaza children life-saving treatment
A British charity has written to the prime minister and foreign secretary, urging them to allow seriously ill children from Gaza into the UK to receive life-saving medical treatment. Warning: This article contains images readers may find distressing The co-founder of Project Pure Hope told Sky News it was way past the time for words. "Now, we need action," Omar Dinn said. He's identified two children inside who urgently need help and is appealing to the UK government to issue visas as a matter of urgency. Israel-Gaza latest: Britain has taken only two patients from Gaza for medical treatment in 20 months of Israeli bombardment. "Most of the people affected by this catastrophe that's unfolding in Gaza are children," he continued. "And children are the most vulnerable. "They have nothing to do with the politics, and we really just need to see them for what they are. "They are children, just like my children, just like everybody's children in this country - and we have the ability to help them." Sky News has been sent video blogs from British surgeons working in Gaza right now which show the conditions and difficulties they're working under. They prepare for potential immediate evacuation whilst facing long lists, mainly of children, needing life-saving emergency treatment day after day. Dr Victoria Rose told us: "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." One of her patients is three-year-old Hatem, who was badly burned when an Israeli airstrike hit the family apartment. His pregnant mother and father were both killed, leaving him an orphan. He has 35 percent burns on his small body. "It's a massive burn for a little guy like this," Dr Rose says. "He's so adorable. His eyelids are burnt. His hands are burnt. His feet are burnt." Hatem's grandfather barely leaves his hospital bedside. Hatem Senior told us: "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 charity is Karam, who, aged one, is trying to survive in a tent in deeply unhygienic surroundings with a protruding intestine. He's suffering from a birth defect called Hirschsprung disease, which could be easily operated on with the right skills and equipment - unavailable to him in Gaza right now. Read more: Karam's mother Manal told our Gaza camera crew: "No matter how much I describe how much my son is suffering, I wouldn't be able to describe it enough. I swear I am constantly crying." Children are among the bulk of casualties - some 16,000 have been killed, according to the latest figures from local health officials - and make up the majority of those being operated on, according to the British surgical team on the ground.
Sky News
29-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
'What did they do to be burned and bombed': Charity calls on UK to offer Gaza children life-saving treatment
A British charity has written to the prime minister and foreign secretary, urging them to allow seriously ill children from Gaza into the UK to receive life-saving medical treatment. The co-founder of Project Pure Hope told Sky News it was way past the time for words. "Now, we need action," Omar Dinn said. He's identified two children inside Gaza who urgently need help and is appealing to the UK government to issue visas as a matter of urgency. "Most of the people affected by this catastrophe that's unfolding in Gaza are children," he continued. "And children are the most vulnerable. "They have nothing to do with the politics, and we really just need to see them for what they are. "They are children, just like my children, just like everybody's children in this country - and we have the ability to help them." Sky News has been sent video blogs from British surgeons working in Gaza right now which show the conditions and difficulties they're working under. They prepare for potential immediate evacuation whilst facing long lists, mainly of children, needing life-saving emergency treatment day after day. Dr Victoria Rose told us: "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." One of her patients is three-year-old Hatem, who was badly burned when an Israeli airstrike hit the family apartment. His pregnant mother and father were both killed, leaving him an orphan. He has 35 percent burns on his small body. "It's a massive burn for a little guy like this," Dr Rose says. "He's so adorable. His eyelids are burnt. His hands are burnt. His feet are burnt." Hatem's grandfather barely leaves his hospital bedside. Hatem Senior told us: "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 charity is Karam, who, aged one, is trying to survive in a tent in deeply unhygienic surroundings with a protruding intestine. He's suffering from a birth defect called Hirschsprung disease, which could be easily operated on with the right skills and equipment - unavailable to him in Gaza right now. Karam's mother Manal told our Gaza camera crew: "No matter how much I describe how much my son is suffering, I wouldn't be able to describe it enough. I swear I am constantly crying." Children are among the bulk of casualties - some 16,000 have been killed, according to the latest figures from local health officials - and make up the majority of those being operated on, according to the British surgical team on the ground.
