The UK Home Office is reportedly blocking the evacuation of dozens of women and children from Gaza, despite the Foreign Office stating it is prepared to facilitate their departure from the region. This development comes amid ongoing efforts to evacuate vulnerable refugee families via Jordan.

In September 2023, the Home Office announced a suspension of refugee family reunion applications, with a promise of new, more restrictive rules to be introduced in the spring. However, as of yet, no new guidelines have been published, and the suspension remains in effect. Applications submitted prior to the suspension continue to be processed.

Both the Home Office and the Foreign Office are involved in coordinating evacuations out of Gaza. Nonetheless, the Home Office has withheld what is known as onward travel assurance (OTA), a necessary step for enabling families to travel from Jordan to the UK. Legal challenges have also been mounted by the Home Office to prevent families from entering the country.

A significant hurdle cited by the Home Office is the requirement for biometric data, which must be collected before families can travel to Jordan. This condition poses a problem because the visa centre in Gaza has been closed since October 2023, making it impossible for individuals to fulfill this criterion.

Legal representatives for the families awaiting evacuation describe the Home Office’s approach as more stringent than responses to refugees from other regions. In some instances, the families, which include young children, have been labeled as security risks based solely on their origin from a “territory where terrorists operate.”

One notable case involves Bassem Abudagga, a PhD student separated from his family in Gaza. When his legal team raised concerns about the difficult living conditions and frequent bombardments he faces, the Home Office responded on July 15 by stating that the situation in Gaza “alone are not considered to amount to compelling circumstances” under relevant UK guidelines.

Another Palestinian refugee currently in the UK is separated from his wife, three children, and his 17-year-old nephew, who was orphaned in the war. He expressed deep distress, questioning how a mother and her children could be deemed a security threat while living under constant danger in Gaza.

Sarah Crowe, a solicitor representing some of the affected families, criticized the government’s stance, saying the UK had effectively abandoned vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza after initially promising assistance. She emphasized the contrast between the Home Office’s restrictive measures and the Foreign Office’s willingness to evacuate refugees.

A Home Office spokesperson defended the policy by citing ongoing reforms aimed at creating a “fairer asylum system,” noting that family reunion would no longer be automatic and that applicants must meet stricter criteria to bring relatives to the UK.