Dozens of women and children remain trapped in Gaza after the UK Home Office was accused of blocking family reunification cases, despite the Foreign Office saying it is prepared to help evacuate them from the war-torn territory.
The dispute centres on refugee family reunion applications submitted before the Home Office suspended the scheme in September 2025. Although those applications are still being processed, families who were expecting to join close relatives in the UK have reportedly been prevented from leaving Gaza.
Under the current evacuation process, eligible families are taken through Jordan. However, lawyers say the Home Office has refused to provide the required onward travel assurance (OTA), while also mounting legal challenges to prevent some families from entering the UK.
Officials have argued that biometric checks must be completed before travel, despite the visa application centre in Gaza having been closed since October 2023. Lawyers noted that countries including Belgium, France, Italy and Ireland have continued facilitating similar evacuations, while the Foreign Office has confirmed it is willing to assist UK-linked families.
Legal representatives claim the Home Office is applying tougher standards to Palestinian families than to other refugee groups seeking reunification. They say some applications have been challenged on the grounds that relatives come from “a territory where terrorists operate”, even when UK-based applicants were granted asylum after being persecuted by Hamas.
One case involves Palestinian PhD student Bassem Abudagga, whose family remains stranded in Gaza. Although the Foreign Office has agreed to assist with their evacuation, the Home Office has said a decision on their onward travel assurance may not be made until December.
In correspondence sent to Abudagga’s legal team on 15 July 2026, the Home Office said: “While this is acknowledged the conditions your clients face in Gaza alone are not considered to amount to compelling circumstances under the [relevant] guidance.”
Another Palestinian refugee living in the UK remains separated from his wife, three children aged nine, 12 and 14, and his 17-year-old adopted nephew, who was orphaned during the war.
He said: “My family are in constant danger and I worry about them every minute of every day. The UK government promised to help my family but has now gone back on that promise.”
He added: “They say my family could be dangerous because there are terrorists operating in Gaza. I don’t understand how a mother and her children can be considered a security threat. The Foreign Office has offered to evacuate my family, so why is the Home Office doing everything in its power to stop it?”
Sarah Crowe, a solicitor at Leigh Day representing several affected families, said: “The UK government has abandoned vulnerable families in Gaza after promising to assist them. The Home Office is blocking family reunification when the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is ready and willing to evacuate them.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Under our reforms to create a fairer asylum system, family reunion will no longer be automatic. Those seeking to bring family members to the UK will need to meet stricter criteria.”