Ten critically ill Gaza children flown to UK with 50 relatives for urgent NHS treatment
Evacuations supported by WHO; government says route via Jordan and cross‑department taskforce helped fast‑track arrivals
Ten critically ill and injured children from Gaza arrived in the United Kingdom on Tuesday alongside about 50 immediate family members to receive urgent treatment from the National Health Service, the government said.
The World Health Organization confirmed it supported the medical evacuations, and ministers said the children were moved from Gaza to Jordan before being flown to the UK. Officials described the operation as a "complex humanitarian operation" coordinated by a cross‑government taskforce and said British Embassy staff in Jordan assisted with transit and that security checks were carried out prior to onward travel.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the arrivals marked the start of the children’s journey toward recovery and praised NHS teams for providing specialist care. "No one can fail to be distressed by the devastating impact the war has had on the children of Gaza," Streeting said, adding that the government would work to ensure families receive "appropriate support" while in the UK. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the move reflected a "determined commitment to humanitarian action and the power of international co‑operation."
The government credited the WHO, the government of Jordan, Royal Jordanian and the UK‑Emergency Medical Team, alongside NHS clinical teams, for assisting the evacuation and treatment. Officials said a small number of Gaza children have previously been brought to the UK for private specialist care through an initiative run by Project Pure Hope, and that more medically urgent cases are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
Hospitals and health infrastructure in Gaza have been severely damaged during the conflict, making long‑term care and specialist services difficult or impossible to access locally, ministers said. The United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, estimates that since Oct. 7, 2023, more than 50,000 children in Gaza have been killed or injured, a toll UNICEF has repeatedly said underlines an urgent need for medical evacuations and humanitarian aid.
Officials said each child was accompanied by immediate family members to provide practical and emotional support during treatment. The government said it was working across departments and with international partners to fast‑track the most critical cases and to provide welfare, housing and social support for families during their stays.
British ministers said they were continuing diplomatic efforts to secure greater protections for health workers and medical facilities in Gaza and to press for increased access for medicines and medical supplies. Cooper called for "a huge increase in medicines and supplies to be allowed in" and reiterated calls for protection of medical infrastructure and staff.
The arrival follows reports earlier this week that two children and their families arrived in Scotland for treatment, and comes amid wider international pressure to expand medical evacuations for those whose injuries cannot be treated locally. Government officials declined to release detailed medical information about the children for privacy and clinical reasons but said clinical teams would determine treatment plans in consultation with families and specialist services.
Charities and medical organisations have welcomed the evacuations while urging broader and sustained humanitarian access for Gaza. The government said it remained grateful to partner organisations that assisted with the operation and that it would continue to coordinate with international agencies to identify and prioritise further urgent cases for evacuation and treatment.