300 children from Gaza to be brought to the UK for free specialist NHS care

[Fragmentedbrain]

According to the Sunday Times. That's nearly as many beds as there are in Great Ormond Street, where the average waiting time for paediatric surgery is 15 weeks (which is fairly typical nationwide).

Why is it mysteriously possible for government to deliver these showy, headline-grabbing measures (I know we already knew it could happen from COVID policy) but not to just make systems work well in an ordinary way?

And Hamas have made it clear they want to “cleanse” Israel. It’s literally the same narrative both sides. Hamas would not be organising food aid if the tables were turned. The only difference is Israel has funds and political support from the West.

Israel cannot safely exist whilst Hamas is in power. 7th October made that clear. So if Hamas will not back down, and if they continue to keep hostages they took on the 7th, then Israel will keep up the war.

Neither side are innocent here. They’ve been fighting over land for decades. And no civilian should be hungry or at harm.

But it’s important to remember who started this war (Hamas) - how they did it (barbarians) - and what Israel want (their loved ones home and to be able to live without the constant terrorist threat from Hamas).

In war, civilians lose. It’s horrific what the Palestinian children are going through, absolutely unacceptable. But it’s a consequence of war and it’s unfair to expect Israel to end the war without its people
back home. If you’re angry with any side, it should be Hamas who started all of this and are risking their own civilians for an unrealistic demand (a single Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital - that will never happen).

I'm glad these children are getting help but it's questionable why the countries in the region such as Egypt, Turkey and Iran are perhaps not offering this support closer to home.

THEY ARE!!!!
This is like ‘cancel the cheque’ all over again. Read the thread.

It was NOT like a warzone in those hospitals.
in a warzone, let’s say Gaza, the hospitals have been bombed, the medics have been slaughtered, the courtyard is a mass grave.

Israel justified its actions on the grounds of ‘not safe to exist’ for decades before Hamas came to power.
Israel helped to fund Hamas.
Israel is actively, now, ‘cleansing’ Gaza.

what’s the difference with Ukraine and Gaza to make people so against this.

Please see my posts from 00:39 and 00:51 (read the links) to see the difference

And, as pointed out, done privately.

As pointed out, with links, tens of time, these 300 aren't done privately. It is done by and NHS funded by taxpayer. Private treatments being done in parallel to this.

The thread is 37 friggin pages long. Get off your high horse just because you spend your entire weekend sitting on a MN thread. The media are not reporting to the masses that other countries in the region are or are not providing similar care. It's good that they are.

Of course in principle I have absolutely no objection to giving these poor kids all the care they need, but the reality is it is a costly exercise, parents and relatives will come too and need to be housed and fed.

Countries nearer to the fighting (including Israel) have just as good, if not better facilities than we have here. Unfortunately the Palestinians are not liked in the region, which is why the other Arab countries haven't all been exactly rushing at once to help them out.

This. We can all have compassion whilst pointing out the obvious facts and concerns.

Isn't anyone more interested in Project Pure Hope? Their website does not include any info about ceo, partners or board members and their backgrounds. Other charities have all that info transparent on their sites. Yesterday it included an item about an adult gazan Doctor allegedly murdered in an Israeli hospital without any evidence to support this. That item seems to have vanished today and all footage is of sick kids.

It is very easy to simplisticly say oh but the children need to be looked after, as has been said there is plenty of provision in Middle Eastern countries. It is ok to question why this charity is arranging mass transfers of children and their families for treatment here when they are already receiving treatment in Arab countries. Why not escalate that?

It is like cancel the cheque. THEY ARE providing healthcare so escalate that as would be far more appropriate for the patients involved.

Except the media are reporting that other countries are doing it. We’re not exceptional. The number of heartless people is astonishing.

What on earth are you talking about?
It's not about helping people or not helping people, it's about economics.

As NHS can't afford to treat the UK population effectively why on earth are sick people from other countries being brought to the UK to use it for free?

I believe very much in the welfare state, of which the NHS is part. A countries population pays in so they can benefit if/when they or their fellow citizens need it. What I don't agree with is the welfare state being used internationally UNLESS it is so well run and cash rich it can easily afford to without detriment to the citizens it's supposed to serve. The NHS is neither cash rich or well run.

Not if we have the most appropriate skills and teams for the particular cases. Do you think it wasn’t appropriate for us to treat Malala?
Who is my neighbour? Whoever needs your help.

World gets served first, British people last. Im happy to pay taxes but my 'social contract' is not with 50 different countries. I'll be making sure I'm paying as little tax as possible and getting my assets out of this country.

There are appropriate facilities closer. I can't imagine these families will return home or even near home can you? We'll have another 300 next month. We don't have the infrastructure to manage our own population yet alone take in more who have perfectly adequate healthcare nearby.

Who are project pure hope and why have they removed a picture of an adult gazan from their website allegedly murdered in an Israeli prison?

Unfortunately the Palestinians are not liked in the region, which is why the other Arab countries haven't all been exactly rushing at once to help them out

Wonder why they aren't liked in the region with similar culture? yet we have to welcome them here?

Totally disagree. A country's economics is not the same as a household budget.

This post was just racism toward 300 children in great need. Your argument bout what the NHS / UK can afford I totally reject.

Just read the BBC article again on the story over weekend, and there is zero mention of other countries in the region providing aid.

Of course it's good that children are being giving aid. It's absolutely horrific people are having to live through war in the 21st century. The war should have been stopped a long time ago before now. The whole war is utterly pointless and just another example of stupid politics and fairytale religion ruining those poor soul's lives.

We’ve taken 3 patients in 2 years.
You are deliberately misleading people by suggesting we are suddenly going to take 300 patients a month.
It’s pure hyperbole on your part.

Are you suggesting the Times have got their facts wrong?

Nonsense argument, but let's run with the crazy.

Do the rest of Europe love the UK? If there was a genocide would you expect the THE WHOLE WORLD to act? Particularly a country who is complicit in perpetuating the genocide? (Thats the UK, our UK made arms destroyed these children)

I haven't mentioned anything to do with household budgets.

I feel the same about anyone living in another country being brought to the UK for free treatment on the NHS whatever their race, religion etc.

i can’t believe this thread is still going- it’s an absolute fucking disgrace.

Wild generalisations ‘if we take 300, another 300 will come’ and ‘Palestinians are hated by arabs’

Absolute racism and ignorance about other cultures and nationalities.

Shameful.

I haven't mentioned anything to do with household budgets.
I feel the same about anyone living in another country being brought to the UK for free treatment on the NHS whatever their race, religion etc.

@nearlylovemyusername- the 3 children so far have been done privately. The next lot are finally agreed to be done by NHS. They’ll come individually and have specific care that I don’t think will interrupt our general waiting lists. It is a global principle really that countries help others in need - we’ve also cut foreign aid so that doesn’t help.
I didn’t see all this uproar when pets were evacuated from Afghanistan, but if it really offends people then lobby against helping seriously injured children in war zones. Let’s hope the U.K. never needs help - as that’s what we think basically isn’t it - we don’t need it and we aren’t helping others.
Re your links, I will look in a bit, awkward on the phone.