The UK will evacuate critically ill and injured children
from Gaza for specialist treatment in British hospitals, the foreign secretary
announced.
David Lammy offered an additional 15 million pounds ($20 million) for medical aid for Gaza and the surrounding area, saying he was "outraged" that Israel was preventing enough aid from entering Gaza.
“This is not a natural disaster, it’s a manmade famine in the 21st century,”
he said.
“I’m outraged by the Israeli government’s refusal to allow in sufficient aid.”
“We all know there is only one way out — an immediate ceasefire,”
Lammy added.
British officials are also helping Gazan students who have been awarded scholarships at U.K. colleges to begin their studies in the fall, he told parliamentarians.
After the world's top food crisis expert said in late August that the largest city in the Gaza Strip is experiencing famine, Lammy stated a "massive humanitarian response" was required to stop additional Palestinians from starving and dying.
He made no mention of how many scholars or sick children Britain is taking in from Gaza. On Monday, however, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper informed Parliament that authorities are accelerating the issuance of visas for those Palestinians and their family members.
How many Gazan children does the UK plan to evacuate for treatment?
The scheme will run in parallel with the privately funded
Project Pure Hope, which has so far evacuated three children for treatment in
the UK. The first group of children to be evacuated is expected to number
between 30 and 50 in the initial phase.
Each child will be accompanied by immediate family members and will travel via a third country such as Jordan or Egypt. Extensive biometric and security checks must be completed on children and their families before travel.
The NHS will provide free medical care tailored to each child's needs, often for complex war-related injuries.