Gaza: UK government separating British nationals from relatives by refusing to extend permission to enter Egypt

The United Kingdom is reportedly separating British nationals from their relatives in Gaza by only offering citizens the chance to leave for neighbouring Egypt, in a policy which is in contrast to the UK’s stance towards Ukrainians fleeing their country.

After the British Foreign Office came up with a list of UK nationals allowed to leave the besieged Gaza Strip over the past week, it was accused of excluding and refusing to accommodate their dependants, potentially separating British children from their mothers and forcing rifts between other such relations.

According to the group representing the British citizens, the move is in direct contrast to the government’s own policy toward Ukrainian refugees over almost the past two years since Russia’s invasion, despite the same danger and risk to life that Palestinians in Gaza face from Israel’s bombardment and invasion.

Louise Harkin, from the group, Support Families in Gaza, was quoted by news outlets as saying that “We have been in touch with organisations and lawyers who work to support people who have a right to come to the UK through different visa schemes. They have been quite clear that British Palestinians are being treated very differently to people fleeing the Ukraine conflict.”

Harkin emphasised that “Gaza is currently the least safe place on the planet. Almost 10,000 people are confirmed dead, almost half of whom are children, yet the government now wants to separate British children from their mothers and families.” She added that “We call upon the government to allow British citizens to bring their families with them.”

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Last week, over a hundred British nationals were granted leave from Gaza into Egypt but, despite that, hundreds of British nationals are still trapped in the besieged land Strip. They are amongst an estimated 7,000 foreign nationals stranded in the Territory, who have been registered by embassies with the Egyptian authorities and await help from their respective governments.

While Britons who were able to pass through the Rafah border crossing have reported that they had felt “abandoned” by the British government, the Foreign Office has insisted that it is attempting to find avenues to help UK citizens, with a spokesperson saying in a statement that “This continues to be a complex and challenging situation and we are using all diplomatic channels to press for the crossing to re-open in coordination with our international partners. We remain in contact with British nationals in the region to provide them with the latest information.”

For now, however, the government said that those in Gaza without British citizenship still require a visa and must acquire one prior to travel to the UK, including dependants of British nationals such as spouses, partners and children under 18.

According to the PA Media news agency, one anonymous Briton who was added the FCDO’s list said that “When we got the call that I and other family members had been added to the list, we found out that my dad’s wife is not on there. My dad has had to leave his wife and other family members behind so he can get my young brothers to safety.”

They highlighted that the Foreign Office has “made exemptions in the past for people from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Sudan; it just feels like those of us with Palestinian heritage are always treated like second-class citizens.” Even the United States has performed better than the British government, they said, noting that “we know of somebody who lives in the US who has managed to get 19 family members evacuated, even though not one of them has an American passport.”

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