UK to Help Gaza Students Take Up Fully Funded University Places

The UK government has agreed to adjust immigration arrangements to allow several dozen students from Gaza to start fully funded university courses in the UK next month, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

The students will be allowed to complete their biometric checks in a third country before travelling to the UK. However, they still need approval from the Israeli authorities to leave Gaza, amid increasingly tense diplomatic relations with London.

Last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK could recognise a Palestinian state if Israel does not agree to certain steps, including a truce in its conflict with Hamas.

Of the roughly 40 students set to receive support, nine will study under the UK government’s Chevening scholarship program, which offers one-year master’s degrees to “outstanding emerging leaders from around the world,” according to the Foreign Office.

Interior Minister Yvette Cooper has also approved arrangements for about 30 more students who have secured fully funded scholarships through other private programs, the BBC reported.

A government source described the process as “complex and challenging,” but said Cooper is determined to ensure that Gaza students can reach the UK and begin their studies in the coming weeks.