"Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed the children had been evacuated from Gaza in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper. A Foreign Office source told the BBC the report was correct and the children were due to arrive in the UK in the "coming days". Cooper did not confirm how large the first group was but the BBC understands it contains between 30 and 50 Palestinian children. Each child could be accompanied by family members if necessary, according to the Mirror."
"Cooper told the newspaper "it was a lot of diplomatic work in order to help them actually leave Gaza". She added: "But that work is underway and I'm determined to make sure that we can do our bit to help those injured families and also to help students get into their courses this autumn." Some Gazan children have been brought privately to the UK for medical treatment through an initiative by Project Pure Hope, but the government until now had not evacuated any through its own scheme during the conflict."
A first group of critically ill and injured Palestinian children have been evacuated from Gaza and are expected to arrive in the UK in the coming days for NHS treatment. The operation is being coordinated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Home Office and the Department of Health. The initial group is understood to contain between 30 and 50 children, and each child could be accompanied by family members if necessary. The UK government is also working to evacuate students who hold places at British universities. Gaza authorities reported multiple fatalities and deaths from starvation, and the World Health Organization said Israel's offensive had stretched Gaza's health system.
Read at www.bbc.com
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