LONDON: A Palestinian mother offered a prestigious scholarship at a British university said she was left with an “impossible choice” after UK officials told her she could not evacuate from Gaza with her husband and three children, on Friday.
Amany secured a Phoenix Space scholarship to study for an MSc in gender and international relations at the University of Bristol.
She was among several Gazan students whose evacuations had been delayed for months, prompting university leaders to warn British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that places were at risk of being lost.
This week, Amany was informed she could leave Gaza on Nov. 19, but would have to travel alone.
In an email from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Gaza Departure Support team, officials told her: “We can only extend our offer to try and support your exit from Gaza to you individually, and not family members or dependents … your case for facilitated departure will not be progressed unless you confirm you would like us to facilitate your exit individually.”
The news has devastated the mother of three, who has a 10-year-old daughter, Taima, and two sons, Taim, 6, and Adam, 3.
“Every detail of my children’s happiness matters to me. How can I leave them?” she said.
“I can’t bear leaving my children in such unbearable and horrible circumstances. The ceasefire is just a word on paper, on the ground there are bombardments,” she added.
Amany’s family has been displaced seven times during the war, and their home was destroyed by Israeli strikes.
She told The Independent she will decline the scholarship unless she can travel with her children.
“My kids are my priority. They are more important than any dream or ambition,” she said.
Her situation arises despite a recent policy change that allows dependents of Gazan scholarship students to come to the UK, in limited circumstances only, including meeting strict financial requirements and studying at PhD or research level.
Amany described the decision as “deeply unfair and discriminatory,” adding: “I didn’t expect this from a country that advocates for inclusion, human rights, and the rights of children. We aren’t seeking asylum, it’s a temporary measure to allow me to study and find safety for a year.”
A Home Office spokesperson had previously said the UK was supporting the evacuation of eligible dependents “on a case-by-case basis” and acknowledged that students from Gaza had “endured unimaginable hardship.”
