- A UK first: Two children from Gaza have arrived in the UK to receive urgent medical treatment
- All costs, including evacuation, treatment and accommodation are covered by private charitable donations with no cost to the NHS or UK taxpayers. UK doctors and healthcare leaders made this possible after seventeen months of tireless dedication and collaboration
Raza Halim of Garden Court Chambers, along with a small group of doctors and health executives, is a founding member of Project Pure Hope (PPH), a humanitarian initiative established to create a safe, legal, and medically-led pathway to bring critically ill and injured children to the UK for short-term specialist treatment. Raza has acted as a legal advisor and along with his colleagues, actively engaged the UK Government and international partners over a period of 17 months, to now successfully secure the medical evacuation of two children and their mothers from Gaza to the UK to receive urgent medical treatment. All costs, including evacuation, treatment, and accommodation, are covered by private charitable donations through PPH, with no cost to the NHS or UK taxpayers.
The story has been covered by a wide range of media organisations, including Sky News. Watch the video and Raza’s interview with Sky News below, and a link to the full Sky News article, here.
Raza stated:
“It’s been a very long journey, there have been many times where we didn’t think we would be where we are now. It’s overwhelming for everyone.”
The healthcare system in Gaza has been severely degraded, with hospitals overwhelmed, infrastructure damaged, and medical supplies critically limited. For many children with complex or life-threatening injuries, the treatment they need, including specialist surgery, rehabilitation, or trauma care, is simply not available locally.
The young girls, aged five and twelve, from Gaza, were transferred to Egypt before travelling to the UK, accompanied by their mothers and one sibling. They are now receiving privately-paid specialist care in private wings of leading London hospitals, supported by multidisciplinary teams specialising in surgery, paediatrics, and psychological health. Beyond urgent medical care, PPH is providing holistic support including temporary housing, interpreters, mental health services, and safeguarding measures. All of this has been privately funded by PPH. The specialist medical care that these children need is not available in Gaza or anywhere in the region. The UK is one of a handful of countries with the expertise to treat these children.
Each child was selected following a rigorous clinical review process to ensure medical urgency, legal compliance, and patient safety. Thousands of children in Gaza have been left with life-threatening injuries amid the collapse of the healthcare system there, with extremely limited or no access to essential treatment, including management of chronic diseases.
Baroness Arminka Helic said:
“These gravely injured children should never have been in this position. Many of them are suffering from injuries or conditions that require highly specialised care. In Gaza, where the
health system has collapsed, that care simply doesn’t exist. Giving them access to treatment isn’t just the right thing to do, it is the only chance they have at recovery, and I thank the UK doctors and healthcare leaders who made this possible after seventeen months of tireless dedication and collaboration.”
Baroness Glenys Thornton commented:
“It’s an honour to support and work alongside PPH. I’m proud that the expert services we have here in the UK will treat these children and support their families with love and respect.”
Established in 2023 by a coalition of NHS clinicians, healthcare professionals, lawyers and humanitarian advocates, Project Pure Hope (PPH) has facilitated medical treatment for injured children from Gaza in Italy, the UAE, and Jordan—working directly and through trusted NGO partners. The initiative has provided critical medical equipment to healthcare providers in Gaza and Lebanon, and also offered support to hospitals and organizations in Israel caring for children affected by the ongoing crisis.
This first patient transfer marks the beginning of a broader programme to provide medical treatment for more children in the months ahead. Additional support has come from His Majesty’s Government, PCRF, Islamic Relief, Save a Child, Virgin Unite, and others.
Note to editor
For more information, or to speak to PPH co-founders, email press@purehope.co.uk
Project Pure Hope and participating hospitals are not offering access to the children or their families to protect their privacy and to allow them the space to focus on the difficult days ahead. Neither are the names of the hospitals treating the children being made public.
About Project Pure Hope (PPH)
Project Pure Hope was formed by an apolitical group of NHS clinicians and executives, lawyers and humanitarian advocates. Their goal: to create a safe, legal, and medically-led pathway to bring a small number of critically ill children to the UK for short-term specialist treatment, then repatriate them to safe zones after their recovery – regardless of their nationality, religion or ethnicity.
Project Pure Hope continues to raise funds to support future children who can benefit from life-saving medical treatment in the UK. Those wishing to help or donate can visit www.purehope.co.uk or email info@purehope.co.uk. All PPH team members are unpaid volunteers.
PPH is now urgently raising funds to enable further patient transfers.
Those wishing to donate or get involved can visit the PPH website. Donations can be made through PPH’s JustGiving site, a discretionary fund housed within an established charitable organisation.
