Home Secretary approval has also been granted to assist around 30 others who hold fully funded scholarships through private schemes, reports the BBC.
If successful, the group would be the first students permitted to leave Gaza for study in the UK since the October 7 attack by Hamas in 2023. Israeli authorities must approve each departure before students are allowed to leave the territory.
The Home Office acknowledged the challenges of carrying out the plan. A government source described the process as “complex and challenging” but said the home secretary had made it “crystal clear” that she wanted the students to take up their places in the UK. Students will first travel to a third country for visa processing before entering Britain.
The decision follows months of pressure from politicians, academics, and campaigners on behalf of more than 80 Palestinian students holding offers from UK universities. Some students told the BBC they feared they might be killed before evacuation, while others expressed concern about leaving families behind.
The UK also intends to evacuate a number of critically ill and injured children from Gaza for medical treatment, of which there are many. Several European nations, including Ireland and Italy, have already assisted students in leaving Gaza. France suspended its program earlier this month after one evacuee was accused of making antisemitic remarks online.
The announcement comes at a time of strained UK-Israel relations. The Starmer government has said it will recognize a Palestinian state in September if Israel does not meet certain conditions related to its campaign in Gaza.
Israel launched military operations in the territory after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 others in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been reported killed since the conflict began
