LONDON: Twenty-five Palestinian students from the Gaza Strip who were awarded scholarships at British universities will lose their places for this year if they are not evacuated from the war-ravaged territory by the end of this week, university chiefs told the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer.
The students received fully funded places to study for undergraduate degrees, master’s and doctorates at Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol, Exeter, Glasgow, Sussex, and University College London.
However, they could lose their places if they are not included on lists for evacuations planned for Oct. 22 and 26 and remain stuck in Gaza, university chiefs warned Starmer in a letter.
Vice-chancellors, principals and presidents from the seven universities also criticized a government ban that prevents the Palestinian students from bringing dependents with them to the UK. They urged ministers to use their “powers of discretion” to allow families of students to settle in the country, The Independent newspaper reported on Wednesday.
They said Palestinian students face an “impossible choice” between the chance to attend a British university and leaving their families behind in a war zone. Only nine of the students would like to bring dependents, the newspaper reported.
