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A handful of people stood waiting with flowers and gifts, but what they all truly carried was a sense of relief.
Two children from Gaza were finally granted entry into the UK to receive critical medical treatment. They were due to arrive on an evening flight from Cairo, marking a historic occasion—this was the first time UK visas had been issued to children from the conflict-stricken region.
Their arrival was the result of tireless efforts by a small group of British volunteers who had worked for months to make it happen.
Cheers broke out as five-year-old Ghena Abed appeared timidly from behind the airport security gates. She is in urgent need of treatment to prevent permanent vision loss in her left eye due to pressure from fluid on her optic nerve.
Also arriving was 12-year-old Rama Qudiah, who is severely undernourished and struggles with incontinence. Doctors believe she needs bowel surgery.
Her mother, Rana, described arriving in the UK as something out of a dream.
Rama is among the lucky few. While a limited number of Gaza's children have been evacuated for medical care—mainly to nearby countries, Europe, or the U.S.—the UK had not accepted any child patients from Gaza since the latest conflict began.
In March, Israel and Jordan reached an agreement that could allow up to 2,000 children to leave Gaza for medical care. But initially, only 29 were permitted to go.
The journey to the UK was anything but simple.
Volunteers from the group Project Pure Hope told Sky News that it took them 17 months to secure temporary visas for Ghena and Rama.
Dr Farzana Rahman, a member of the group, said many of them are healthcare professionals who felt compelled to act when witnessing the suffering of children.
Asked why the visa process took so long, Dr Rahman admitted she had no clear answer.
The group emphasizes that time is critical. They stressed that all expenses will be covered by private donors and that the children will return to Gaza after their treatment concludes.
Project Pure Hope isn’t stopping here. The group has identified more children in need of urgent care and is determined to help as many as possible.
"Delays can be deadly," said Dr Rahman. "We’ve already lost children we couldn’t help in time. That’s the most heartbreaking part for all of us."
