The UK government is under growing pressure to act on behalf of 40 Palestinian students trapped in Gaza who have secured full scholarships to British universities but are unable to commence their studies this September due to bureaucratic obstacles and Israel’s war.
A senior-level discussion reportedly took place at the Home Office on Tuesday, following concerns raised by numerous MPs and campaigners about the students’ dire situation, urging ministers to facilitate their safe passage to the UK.
Reports indicate that some students have lost their lives while awaiting approval, with others facing ongoing threats to their safety amid Israel’s genocidal war on the besieged strip.
Campaigners highlight that the students are prevented from travelling and beginning their studies due to a Home Office mandate requiring biometric data for visa applications.
The UK-authorised biometric registration centre in Gaza ceased operations in October 2023, and students are unable to access alternative centres in neighbouring countries due to the Israeli imposed blockade.
They are now urging the government to provide a biometric data deferral and assist the students in finding a secure route to a third country where they can complete their visa applications and proceed to the UK.
Dr Nora Parr, a researcher at Birmingham University supporting the Gaza students, said Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and Italy had already facilitated the evacuation of students with university places in their countries.
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She said: “The students who studied, took TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) tests, wrote admissions essays and did virtual campus interviews under the most horrendous conditions imaginable – many from tent homes and makeshift wifi hubs – now must wait for a government decision.
“To not act is to decide to leave them without these hard-earned educational opportunities.”
Parr noted that the government’s immigration white paper earlier this year signalled an intention to reduce international student visas to UK universities.
“This, combined with the current government’s tough stance on immigration, and absence of direct support for Palestine, has left these students in the most dire limbo.”
The University and College Union (UCU) which represents 125,000 education workers, has also called for government intervention.
In a letter to Yvette Cooper, UCU general secretary Jo Grady urged the home secretary to “expedite the process and ensure all these young Palestinians make it to our seminar rooms and lecture halls for the start of the academic year.”
The students, including doctors, midwives and mental health professionals, hold places at approximately 30 universities, such as Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Edinburgh and University College London (UCL), where they aim to study subjects including dental public health, data science and AI, and genomic medicine.
Soha, 31, who hopes to pursue a PhD in nursing and health research at the University of Ulster, said: “As a midwife living and working in Gaza, I have witnessed the unimaginable: mothers giving birth under fire, newborns taking their first breath in shelters, and health professionals struggling to provide care with little more than courage and commitment.”
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, Soha said urgent government action is neeed: “We need them to be faster making the decisions that we are waiting for. Give us the biometric waiver that we want and facilitate our safe passage. We are running out of time.
“I carry with me the hopes of countless women and colleagues back in Gaza. When I return, I plan to lead maternal health research in Palestine. I want to train a new generation of midwives in evidence-based, trauma-informed care, so that even in crisis, childbirth can be safe and dignified.”
Abtisam Mohamed, Labour MP for Sheffield Central and co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for international students, is advocating for the students in Gaza. She said: “Gaza’s education system, like so much else, has been all but obliterated.
“Amid these catastrophic conditions, some of the brightest students of their generation have secured scholarships to study at universities abroad, but they cannot provide documentation because Gaza’s only visa application centre has been destroyed.
“Ireland, France and Belgium have acted to ensure their students can reach safety; the UK has not.
“This is not hypothetical; some of these students have already been killed while waiting and others remain in constant danger.
“I’m pressing ministers to address this as soon as possible, as every minute increases the likelihood that more young lives will be lost.”
Universities offering places to these students have called on the government to intervene. “It is really important that we keep the life-changing opportunity of higher education open for students whose lives are being overturned by conflict,” said Dr Michael Spence, the president and provost of UCL.
He added: “The dedication these students have shown and their determination to keep learning despite incredibly difficult circumstances demonstrates how hugely motivated they are to take advantage of everything that UCL can offer them, to shape a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.
“Any action the government can take to help them find ways around the barriers that the situation in Gaza presents would be hugely welcome and of very great benefit.”
A government spokesperson said: “We are aware of the students and are considering the request for support.”
