Home Office withholds travel assurances for Gaza families despite Foreign Office readiness

The UK Home Office is preventing the evacuation of dozens of women and children from Gaza to the United Kingdom, despite explicit indications from the Foreign Office that it is prepared to facilitate their departure. The block applies specifically to families with pre-existing refugee family reunion applications, with the Home Office withholding Onward Travel Assurance (OTA) and deploying legal challenges to prevent these individuals from joining relatives already in the UK.

While the Foreign Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have expressed willingness to evacuate families from the war-torn territory, the Home Office is not providing the necessary documentation for them to enter the country. Families with a right to leave are currently being evacuated via Jordan, but without the OTA, they cannot proceed to the UK. The Home Office has reportedly deployed several senior barristers to single cases to mount these legal obstacles.

The Home Office suspended refugee family reunion applications last September, promising new, more restrictive rules in the spring. No such announcement has been made, and the process remains suspended. However, applications made prior to the suspension continue to be processed, though families in Gaza with pre-existing applications are being blocked from reuniting. A Home Office spokesperson stated that under reforms to create a fairer asylum system, family reunion is no longer automatic and stricter criteria apply.

In communications with legal representatives, the Home Office acknowledged the "insanitary conditions, infested tents and frequent bombings" faced by families in Gaza but stated these conditions do not amount to "compelling circumstances" under relevant guidance. The department also claims that biometrics are obtained before families travel to Jordan, despite the visa centre in Gaza being closed since October 2023.

Lawyers allege the Home Office is taking a harsher line with Palestinian families than with refugees from other countries. They cite security risks based on the "territory where terrorists operate" rather than individual assessments, a stance critics argue is inconsistent with previous grants of leave to remain to refugees persecuted by Hamas. In one case involving PhD student Bassem Abudagga, officials indicated they would not make a decision on OTA until December 2026. Other European nations, including Belgium, France, Italy, and Ireland, are facilitating similar evacuations.