Britain's current approach stands in contrast to previous efforts to evacuate children from conflict zones, such as those during 1990s Bosnian war, Ukraine conflict, says legal challenge
The UK government is facing a legal challenge over its decision not to medically evacuate critically ill children from Gaza, a move lawyers say starkly contrasts with Britain's actions in other global conflicts.
The action, brought on behalf of three children in Gaza, is being taken against both the Foreign Office and the Home Office, The Guardian reported on Saturday.
It claims government ministers failed to consider the severe lack of treatment options available in the war-torn territory before rejecting medical evacuation requests.
It also says that Britain's current approach stands in contrast to previous efforts to evacuate children from conflict zones, such as those during the 1990s Bosnian war and the current conflict in Ukraine.
Carolin Ott, from the law firm Leigh Day, which is leading the legal challenge, told The Guardian: “The UK government has explained its failure to facilitate medical evacuations from Gaza on the basis that it supports treatment options in Gaza and the surrounding region and that there are visas available for privately funded medical treatment in the UK. However, these mechanisms are profoundly inadequate to meet the urgent needs of children in Gaza.”
Campaigners have been urging the government to establish a dedicated immigration route for critical medical evacuations.
While two children were admitted to the UK for urgent care in May through the charity Project Pure Hope, it marked the first and only case of its kind.
The treatment was privately funded, and the charity's request for a Gaza-UK pathway funded by the government was reportedly refused.
To date, the UK has not offered itself as a receiving state for medical evacuations from Gaza. The legal case argues that inaction by government ministers is leaving critically ill children without life-saving options.
The Foreign Office and Home Office have not yet responded to the legal action.
