Prince William ‘moved by courage’ of Gazan children brought to UK for treatment

The Prince of Wales was “moved by the courage” of Gazan children he met following their evacuation to the UK for specialist care.

Fifty children and their immediate families had been brought to Britain from Gaza for treatment as of November 21, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed.

Prince William “wished to offer a moment of comfort” to the young people “who have endured experiences no child should ever face”, Kensington Palace said. It did not disclose when or where he met the children.

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The prince also met Palestinian children during a 2018 visit to a refugee camp to learn about the lives of Arabs on the West Bank.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “Recently His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales met a small number of children from Gaza who are currently receiving specialist care in the UK.

“The prince wished to offer a moment of comfort to these young people who have endured experiences no child should ever face.”

They added: “The prince was also able to offer his heartfelt gratitude to the NHS teams providing exceptional care during such a profoundly difficult time.”

They said he was “moved by the courage shown by the children and their families and by the dedication of the team who are supporting them with such professionalism and humanity”.

The first group of critically ill and injured Palestinian children to come to the UK to benefit from treatment arrived in September, although two children did arrive in May for treatment organised under the Project Pure Hope (PPH) humanitarian project.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said at the time that there had been “a lot of diplomatic work in order to help them leave Gaza”.

She said: “But I'm determined to make sure that we can do our bit to help those injured families and also to help students get into their courses this autumn.”

A UK Government spokesperson said “now is the time to scale-up aid and ensure much-needed medicines and medical supplies are getting into Gaza, so that families can access the healthcare they need”.

They added: “We stand ready to continue to provide health-related support to the people of Gaza.”

The prince paid tribute to humanitarian workers last month during a visit to Gunnersbury Park, west London. At the launch of the first global memorial for humanitarian workers, he said: “We are witnesses to the appalling suffering of those who are victims of war and violence; from Ukraine to Sudan, from Myanmar to Haiti and, indeed, throughout much of the Middle East. And, alas, in so many other places.

“Yet, the presence of humanitarian aid workers, like those in Gaza, runs like a thread of shared humanity through even the grimmest of environments.”

More than seven years ago, Prince William met Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, in the West Bank, before travelling a few miles away to the streets of the Jalazone camp, which was home to about 15,000 people at the time. He visited a school and health clinic and met mothers having their babies vaccinated.