First Gaza students evacuated to study in the UK; 34 scholars with full scholarships set to arrive within days

A group of 34 Gaza students who have offers to study at British universities has been evacuated and is expected to arrive in the United Kingdom within days, in what appears to be the first such evacuation since the conflict began.

They are currently in a third country in the region for visa biometric checks before continuing to the UK, British officials said. All 34 are on fully funded scholarships and have backing from the UK government to leave Gaza. The group includes at least four medical doctors and were helped out of Gaza on Wednesday. They are due to be brought to the UK early next week to take up their university places.

One evacuated student told the BBC that they are tired but well, describing the past 48 hours as intense and challenging to leave behind family members and other students waiting to be evacuated.

The cohort includes scholars under the Chevening Scholarship, which is primarily government-funded and covers 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 with offers from UK universities this year. It remains unclear when the next group 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.