From Gaza to safety: Nadia’s story
Nadia* never imagined she would be separated from her children by war.
In September 2022, Nadia* travelled to the UK to study, intending to return home to Gaza once her course was complete. But before she could, the conflict escalated in October 2023, making it impossible for her to return to her family.
While Nadia was in the UK, her partner Joseph remained in Gaza with their two young children. The family applied to reunite, but as the violence intensified, Nadia faced months of fear and uncertainty, separated from her children and unable to keep them safe. It was not until March 2024 that Joseph and the children were finally able to evacuate to Egypt.
Although they had escaped the immediate danger in Gaza, safety remained out of reach. In Egypt, the family had no secure legal status. Joseph was unable to work, the children could not attend primary school, and they faced an uncertain future in overcrowded, unstable conditions. After the trauma they had endured, Nadia’s children were still separated from their mother and primary carer at a time when they needed her most.
Hoping to rebuild their lives together, the family applied to join Nadia in the UK. But the Home Office refused their application. Because Nadia was living in the UK on a student visa rather than with refugee status, the family did not qualify under the family reunion rules. The Home Office also concluded there were no exceptional circumstances to justify granting permission outside the Immigration Rules, arguing that Egypt was a safe country, that the family’s basic needs were being met, and that Nadia could simply visit them there.
Safe Passage challenged that decision.
We argued that the refusal overlooked the reality of the family’s situation: the children’s trauma, their inability to attend school, their insecure legal status, the instability they faced in Egypt, and the profound impact of prolonged separation from their mother. It also failed to recognise the particular challenges faced by Palestinians who had fled Gaza to Egypt.
With Safe Passage’s support, the family appealed.
Today, the family is together again in the UK. The children are back in school, and after months of separation, uncertainty, and upheaval, they finally have the chance to rebuild their lives as a family.
Without this decision, the children faced the devastating prospect of being separated from their mother, losing the safety and stability they needed, and suffering further harm to their emotional and mental wellbeing while trying to recover from the trauma they had experienced.
Reflecting on the journey, Nadia shared her gratitude to those who supported them:
“On behalf of all our family members, I would like to thank you and the Safe Passage team for your incredible patience and commitment throughout this journey. We could never have managed this without all of you. Please keep holding the candle and lighting the way for others.”
Her words are a reminder of the difference that compassion, persistence, and support can make for families seeking safety and the chance to be together again.
Reunions like Nadia and her children 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.
*Names changed to protect identity