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Conflict in the Middle East
Original poster

As a compassionate gesture we accept I'll children from Gaza but will they return?

65 replies

mids2019 · 14/09/2025 06:55

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr4qn6gxekxo
If course going and argue with treating injured and I'll children but I don't think Yvette Cooper has considered whether the children sending the children back to a a war zone after treatment would be rather cruel.

I personally think what is India's here is the young Gazans will be given asylum in the UK and possibly their families could join them. Given UK attitudes towards asylum seekers currently this is a bit of a political risk.

How do you balance compassion for injured children with setting precedent for mass asylum seeking from Gaza where there are sadly many injured childden? How do you choose which children to treat for instance and which UK patients to push down the waiting lists to accommodate them?

Is this feature politics to try and hold on to the Muslim vote!

Young Palestinian children hold metal pans at an aid distribution site in Gaza City.

First sick children have left Gaza for UK - Cooper

The Foreign Office says the group of children will arrive in the UK "in the coming days".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr4qn6gxekxo

OP posts:
Readyforslippers · 14/09/2025 07:42

Sometimes, helping a child is the only thing that matters. The politics really don't.

moofolk · 14/09/2025 07:42

I think the people objecting to this forget a couple of things.

  1. Their humanity. These are sick children. Only a sick mind would deny them help.
  2. Palestinians don’t want to come to the UK to seek asylum. They want their homeland!

As ever, the key to reducing the numbers of refugees is to stop destroying their homelands. Stop arming Isreal. Sanctions now.

CatherinedeBourgh · 14/09/2025 07:36

I always used to wonder why it was so hard to get children out of Germany during the Reich.

With attitudes like this I understand.

No one in their right mind could possibly think that getting children who need medical treatment (or any children for that matter) out of Gaza is anything other than the right thing to do. And I for one certainly hope they do not get 'sent back' unless and until Gaza is a safe place for everyone who lives there.

RonnyRite · 14/09/2025 07:36

Up to 50 children accompanied by "family members". We are possibly importing Hamas members who will never go back.

Original poster
mids2019 · 14/09/2025 07:32

It's gesture politics at its most cynical. Maybe the children will be flown to Jordan or Egypt but that begs the question why not simply to e then treatment fhere? Labour realise they are leaking Muslim votes and so some one in the home office comes up with a plan to treat injured children in hospitals thousands of miles away with presumably few Arabic speakers. It's like something out of the thick of it. 'Were tanking in the polls with Muslims so let's get the publicity of treating a few injured kids in UK hospitals......let's make sure we get plenty of shots of them hugging toys while being treated to show how virtuous we are'

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Original poster
mids2019 · 14/09/2025 07:31

It's gesture politics at its most cynical. Maybe the children will be flown to Jordan or Egypt but that begs the question why not simply to e then treatment fhere? Labour realise they are leaking Muslim votes and so some one in the home office comes up with a plan to treat injured children in hospitals thousands of miles away with presumably few Arabic speakers. It's like something out of the thick of it. 'Were tanking in the polls with Muslims so let's get the publicity of treating a few injured kids in UK hospitals......let's make sure we get plenty of shots of them hugging toys while being treated to show how virtuous we are'

OP posts:
MumChp · 14/09/2025 07:29

Insertfootnote · 14/09/2025 07:26

I don't understand why they aren't being taken to Jordan or Egypt or one of the many Muslim countries. Surely it would be better for these children and their families to be in safe countries with their own religion and culture. We should be pressurising the wealthy counties of the middle east to step up, not bringing yet more people here.

They don't want them. Never did.

Original poster
mids2019 · 14/09/2025 07:27

So on the surface as humans you can't argue with treating sick and injured children.

However the children aren't going to be shipped onto planes after treatment and driven to rent cities in Gaza. So we have to accept in reality this and accepting asylum seekers from Gaza in compassionate grounds. If we are accepting asylum seekers from Gaza probably utterly traumatised, psychologically damaged, and socially displaced has any thought been given to integration with UK society.

How will these Gazan children process trauma is a culture divorced from theirs where they will eventually see media both supportive and anti Israeli action. I think long term the children would be much more socially comfortable in the middle east. Also I think you have to question whether a Palestinian would feel aggrieved being in a country with a close alignment with the US that supplies Israeli weapons speaking a language which is probably associated with the colonial powers that set up Israel as a state intially. Long term the political confusion will be hard for these children and young adults....5 years on are these kids going to claiming pip in council accommodation being harassed by Tommy Robinson supporters as terrorists.

The road to hell, pavements and good intentions spring to mind.

OP posts:
Insertfootnote · 14/09/2025 07:26

I don't understand why they aren't being taken to Jordan or Egypt or one of the many Muslim countries. Surely it would be better for these children and their families to be in safe countries with their own religion and culture. We should be pressurising the wealthy counties of the middle east to step up, not bringing yet more people here.

DavidKeanu · 14/09/2025 07:23

@mids2019 strange thing to get annoyed about IMO. We're talking a very small number of sick children. Hardly something for a civilised person to rally against.

I notice the BBC has its own typo in the caption for the first picture.

SharonEllis · 14/09/2025 07:03

mids2019 · 14/09/2025 06:56

Sorry for the typos

You can edit your post to fix them.

Readyforslippers · 14/09/2025 07:02

I don't care if they go back, I'm happy we're helping.

Original poster
mids2019 · 14/09/2025 06:59

There are plenty of good hospitals in Egypt and the middle East more generally so why great children in hospitals in a country thousands of miles away. Surely testing children in more local countries really let reduces the risk of travel on treatment outcomes? Saudi can pay Ronaldo 500 million a year in salary for football yet the UK has the bill for treating Gazans?....hmmmmm......are we having taken for a ride?

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Original poster
mids2019 · 14/09/2025 06:56

Sorry for the typos

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