More than 90 UK MPs urge government to evacuate wounded Gaza children for treatment

A group of 96 MPs from different parties penned a letter to the government urging them to bring wounded and sick children in Gaza for treatment "without delay" as the situation in the enclave rapidly worsens due to Israeli bombardment.

Labour MP Dr Simon Opher organised the letter, highlighting how Israel has destroyed the majority of Gaza, displaced its entire population, and imposed restrictions which plunged the enclave into a deep humanitarian catastrophe.

Himself a GP, he said that the devastation in Gaza is now of "horrific proportions".

The letter notes that children are at imminent risk of dying as malnutrition rates soar in the enclave, which comes after months of Israel cutting off all aid to the Strip.

The letter states that Gaza has been "decimated", and calls on the government to issue a timeline detailing the evacuations and funding.

It states that any obstacles that stop them from being evacuated should be listed at the soonest time.

The signatories state they have started working with the charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to speed up the process of evacuating children and bringing them to the UK to be treated.

It specified that children and their families should have the option of claiming asylum or resettling in the UK once treatment is completed.

The UK’s Home Office has previously come under scrutiny after it said it would have to carry out biometric checks on the wounded children and their families or carers. The MPs in the letter quizzed the Home Office over the practicality of the checks, given the emergency situation in Gaza.

The letter comes as more images of emaciated children emerge following weeks of very limited aid entering Gaza. Prices of goods have also soared in the enclave, while bakeries and markets have completely shuttered due to the intense Israeli bombardment and forced evacuation orders.

UN agency UNICEF estimates that around 50,000 children have been killed or wounded since the start of the war in October 2023.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed over 61,000 Palestinians since October 2023 and levelled entire neighbourhoods. The war has been determined to be a genocide by UN experts and leading rights groups, including Amnesty International.