The UK Home Office is blocking the evacuation and family reunion of dozens of women and children trapped in Gaza, directly conflicting with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which has stated it is ready and willing to help evacuate them.

Although families who secure a right to leave can be evacuated through Jordan, the Home Office is withholding required onward travel assurances and actively deploying multiple senior barristers to mount legal challenges against their arrival in the UK.

According to The Guardian, the Home Office suspended refugee family reunion applications last September, and under ongoing policy reforms, family reunion will no longer be automatic and will require meeting stricter criteria. Legal representatives for the stranded families state that the Home Office is applying a harsher standard to Palestinians than to other refugees, in some instances arguing that mothers and small children pose a security risk because they live in a territory where ‘terrorists’ operate.

Furthermore, the department dismissed descriptions of insanitary conditions, infested tents, and frequent Israeli bombings by telling lawyers that these dangerous conditions alone do not amount to compelling circumstances under current guidance.