Young Gaza Patients Plead for Family Reunions

Two boys from Gaza who travelled to the UK for life-saving medical treatment have said that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has failed to deliver on a promise to reunite them with their families and help more injured children reach Britain for care.

Mahmoud, 12, and Obaida, 15, arrived in the UK in autumn as part of efforts to provide specialist NHS treatment for children injured or seriously ill as a result of the war in Gaza. While both said they received a warm welcome, they described the emotional strain of being separated from their loved ones during their treatment.

According to the boys, they met Starmer in December and were told that steps would be taken to help reunite them with their families. Mahmoud said his relatives in Gaza were overjoyed when they heard about the meeting and believed the promise would soon become reality. Months later, however, the family remains apart.

Mahmoud, who discovered he had a chronic medical condition during the conflict, underwent surgery in the UK to have a kidney removed. He recalled feeling overwhelmed and frightened without his mother and siblings by his side, saying their presence would have made the experience much easier.

Obaida, who uses a wheelchair after being injured when an Israeli bomb struck his family’s tent, also spoke about the challenges of recovery without family support. He said he still requires additional operations and wishes his father could be with him throughout the process.

The boys also expressed concern for other children still in Gaza who urgently need medical treatment. Obaida argued that children in Gaza deserve the same opportunities and care as children anywhere else, noting that many have suffered life-changing injuries during the conflict.

The UK government had initially hoped to bring up to 300 injured children from Gaza for treatment. However, only around 50 children have received care so far, and no new arrivals have been reported this year.

Many of those who have reached the UK have done so through the efforts of Project Pure Hope, a private initiative that works to secure treatment for injured children. Advocates say progress has fallen far short of the original ambitions and are calling on the government to expand its efforts.

On Tuesday, Mahmoud and Obaida joined campaigners and supporters at the UK Parliament to urge MPs to take further action, both to reunite families and to provide medical treatment for more children affected by the conflict in Gaza.