A family from Gaza has had its application to settle in the UK denied as they present a “national security risk.”
The Palestinian family of six has launched legal action against the Home Office and Foreign Office over the decision.
The family, aged between 14 and 23, were refused onward travel assurances (OTAs), which are necessary for them to leave the much destroyed enclave.
According to the Government’s legal team, it is British policy not to allow foreign nationals into the country without biometric checks, therefore travel documents cannot be offered because it would deviate from UK policy, reports The Telegraph.
As the majority of the facilities in Gaza have been decimated following Israel’s two year offensive against Hamas, OTAs must be issued in Jordan, which currently remains the only way to leave Gaza.
Therefore, OTAs must be given to the Jordanian authorities that would allow the family to travel to the UK, where the biometric tests would be carried out.
The family members are challenging decisions made in September and October that looked at a larger group of Palestinians, and a further one in December, which looked at their specific case.
The family wish to be reunited with their father in the UK, with their representative Charlotte Kilroy KC, for the family, claiming the Government breached the human rights of the family.
Much of Gaza’s population has been displaced following the conflict (file pic)
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She said the decision “perpetuates those failings, and adds further errors of law”, adding that Israel has already approved their exit and transit through the country.
Ms Kilroy added: “Israel uses tools of mass-surveillance in Gaza, meaning any risks they posed related to terrorism activity in the region, would have been identified.
“The claimants have never left Gaza meaning there is no real prospect of their data being held or showing risk to the public interest in UK biometric checks.”
Ms Kilroy said the father, who attended court on Monday, is taking medication for his poor mental health as he worries about the safety of his family.
Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings southwards on a road in the Nuseirat refugee camp area in the central Gaza Strip
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A displaced Palestinian man rides a donkey cart amidst the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes
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In written submissions for a hearing on Monday, Rory Dunlop KC, for the Government, said: “An OTA is an exception to that policy because it requires the Secretary of State for the Home Department to guarantee entry before biometrics have been checked.
“Every exception to Her Majesty’s Government biometric policy carries risks to national and border security, because the individual may pose a risk that can only be identified by their biometrics.
“That is particularly so in a case, as here, where some of the claimants seeking an OTA are adults living in an area where there has been significant terrorist activity.”
He concluded ministers would not to assist the family’s travel to the UK because it would be a “step too far” in deviating from current policy.
Boys watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes east of Rafah in the southern Gaza
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Last year, a group of Palestinian children were brought to the UK for urgent healthcare.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it had supported the medical evacuations of 10 “critical” children from Gaza to the UK. These children were evacuated with 50 companions, the WHO said.
Speaking at the time, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “No one can fail to be distressed by the devastating impact the war has had on the children of Gaza, and I cannot imagine the fear and anguish their families have endured. It is a soul-destroying situation that compels us to act.
“Every child deserves the chance to heal, to play, to simply be able to dream again. These young patients have witnessed horrors no child should ever see, but this marks the start of their journey towards recovery.”
A truck carrying aid enters Gaza through the border crossing
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Yesterday, it was confirmed Israeli forces have recovered the remains of the last remaining hostage held in Gaza, police officer Ran Gvili.
The recovery of the remains could pave the way for a limited reopening of the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the enclave’s main gateway to the outside world, in line with Israeli pledges.
The Palestinian committee of technocrats backed by the US to administer Gaza has said the border crossing would open this week.
An Israeli Government spokesman had no immediate comment when asked when the border crossing would be reopened.