Gazan Mother Offered UK Scholarship Faces “Impossible Choice” After Being Told She Must Leave Children Behind

LONDON: A Palestinian mother awarded a prestigious scholarship at a British university says she has been forced into an “impossible choice” after UK authorities informed her she could only evacuate Gaza alone, without her husband or three young children, The Independent reported.

Amany, selected for the Phoenix Space scholarship to pursue an MSc in Gender and International Relations at the University of Bristol, is among several Gazan students whose evacuation has been repeatedly delayed due to the ongoing conflict.

After months of uncertainty, UK officials notified her that she could be allowed to leave Gaza on Nov. 19, but only if she travelled without her family.

In an email from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s Gaza Departure Support Team, officials wrote:
“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 decision has deeply shaken Amany, a mother of three: 10-year-old Taima, 6-year-old Taim, and 3-year-old Adam.

“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.”

Amany’s family has already been displaced seven times during the war, and their home has been destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. She said she will refuse the scholarship unless her children are allowed to accompany her.

“My kids are my priority. They are more important than any dream or ambition,” she affirmed.

Her situation is unfolding despite a recent UK policy adjustment that permits dependents of Gazan scholarship recipients to travel under specific, limited conditions mostly applicable to PhD or research-level students and subject to strict financial requirements.

Amany called the restrictions “deeply unfair and discriminatory.”

“I didn’t expect this from a country that advocates for inclusion, human rights, and the rights of children,” she said. “We aren’t seeking asylum; it’s a temporary measure so I can study and keep my children safe for a year.”

A Home Office spokesperson previously said that the UK is supporting the evacuation of dependents “on a case-by-case basis” and acknowledged that Gazan students have “endured unimaginable hardship.”

University leaders across the UK had earlier warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer that delays in evacuations risked causing many students to lose their hard-earned scholarship places.

As it stands, Amany may be forced to give up her academic opportunity  choosing family safety over her own educational future.