A few days ago, a little girl from Gaza was finally reunited with her mum here in the UK. This was no ordinary case – families in Gaza face some of the most complex, almost impossible, barriers to reunion.
Photo: Amira and her little girl arriving in the UK, finally reunited
Amira* lost her husband in the first days of Israeli offensive on Gaza. She was in the UK finishing her master's degree, supposed to return home in October 2023. Instead, she watched the news in horror, unable to reach her daughter. For months, she didn't know if her little girl was alive or dead.
When she finally managed to find her, she contacted us immediately. We knew we had to act fast – but getting anyone out of Gaza right now is nearly impossible.
The only visa centre in Gaza is closed, but without fingerprints and photos submitted there, family reunion applications can't even be processed. It's a bureaucratic catch-22 that traps thousands of families.
We submitted an application to get Samira’s biometrics appointment deferred until after she could be evacuated, explaining her exceptional circumstances. And despite the Home Office agreeing to it, they still wouldn’t evacuate it.
Our legal team kept pushing, making call after call, using every possible contact and working around the clock to find a way through the impossible bureaucracy. Finally, after months of pressure, the Home Office agreed to evacuate her daughter to Jordan exceptionally – one of the few children to get this outcome.
Amira was already on her way to Jordan to meet her when she texted our lawyers: "I can't believe it's actually happening. Thank you so much for all your help. We couldn't have done it without you."
And after months of separation, months of not knowing, months of fear – there finally arrived in London a few weeks ago. Safe and together, again.
Photo: Amira and her little girl arriving in the UK, finally reunited
But Amira's daughter is one of the lucky ones. Right now, there are countless other families still separated, with their loved ones unable to leave Gaza and facing insurmountable obstacles to reunite.
Reunions like Samira and her daughter’s are only made possible by our generous donors. Each case costs around £2,000 from start to finish – covering visa applications, the process of gathering evidence, appealing decisions when necessary, coordinating with authorities to keep children safe while they wait, and arranging their arrival into the UK. Every donation brings us closer to reuniting another child with their family.
*Name changed to protect her identity