Project Pure Hope is an initiative led by a coalition of UK healthcare leaders and humanitarians. We are committed to working towards providing life-saving medical care and support to children who are victims of the Middle East conflict, regardless of their nationality, religion, or ethnicity.
We have approval from the Prime Minister and UK Government that we can now evacuate some critically ill children from Gaza to the UK for urgent medical treatment.
This is a historic first, and we hope it will set a precedent for future evacuations. UK hospitals are now reviewing cases, and we will soon know which children will be brought here for care.
We need your help. We are raising £2 million to cover the cost of treatment, housing, and social care for the children and their carers that we bring to the UK for treatment. The more funds we raise, the more likely the UK Government is to support more evacuations.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has led to thousands of deaths and injuries of children. Healthcare systems in the region who have led the support of injured Gazan civilians are strained. Providing clearly defined access to short-term specialist care in the UK (e.g. for complex trauma, cancer treatment, or psychology therapy) to a small group of children will significantly improve outcomes and relieve tension on strained systems.
Since October 2023, Gaza’s healthcare system has been decimated. Hospitals have been destroyed, medical personnel killed or detained, and children – many gravely injured – are left with no access to the urgent care they desperately need. The UK is home to some of the best paediatric facilities in the world, yet while countries like the US, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and many others have stepped up to help, the UK has yet to do the same.
We have been working hard to change that since November 2023. We have a simple, urgent mission: to bring injured Gazan children to the UK for life-saving treatment – at no cost to the NHS, the government or the taxpayer.
We have designed a pathway that will engage relevant stakeholders and will follow a multidisciplinary, patient centred approach. The stakeholders who will be involved are:
We are grateful for the support and active engagement we have had by multiple leaders and organisations across the NHS including leading paediatric hospitals in London and nationally, expressing commitment and interest in being part of this initiative.
We believe that between this multifaceted group we will be well placed to offer support for any child’s physical and mental health needs. We have also actively engaged with The NHS Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, Response (NHS EPRR) team; and are working with the Department of Health and Social Care to provide assurance on our project.
This project is being coordinated by a group of NHS Consultants who are collaborating with various organisations in the UK and abroad. The multidisciplinary team are working together to identify and prioritize the children who have the most urgent/complex need and are eligible for our help and assistance.
Our goal is to raise at least £2,000,000. This will be used to directly support the health and wellbeing needs of affected children, who we are able to bring to the UK for urgent and necessary treatment.
We cannot succeed at Project Pure Hope without you. We need your help in achieving our fundraising goal to cover the costs of travel, accommodation, medical care, and other expenses for the children and their guardians. This is a matter of life and death. Please join us in this urgent and noble cause.
Save the Children have said that 100 children on average have been killed every day during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. We have seen horrific injuries and trauma amongst the children. They need urgent and specialized care that can only be provided by some of the leading centres in the UK.
The UK has a long history of providing refuge and medical support to vulnerable children in conflicts.
Most recently, the UK enabled the transfer and treatment of children requiring medical treatment as a consequence of the war in Ukraine in 2022.
21 Ukrainian children with cancer were brought to receive care through the NHS in England (alongside members of their family); which was itself part of the government’s wider humanitarian response to the Ukraine conflict, with more than 650,000 medical items being delivered to Ukraine. At the time, this required a multi-agency collaboration across the Department ofHealth and Social Care, the Department for Transport, Home Office, and theForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to facilitate the transfer of the children from Poland to the UK. Since then, the UK has welcomed and provided care for over 200,000 Ukrainian children –a humanitarian response the UK should be proud to have supported. The Ukrainian refugee scheme is fully funded by the UK government and NHS.
We also note the significant and impactful action the UK took to supporting Malala Yousafzai at Queen Elizabeth HospitalBirmingham after she was injured by the Taliban in 2012.
With regards to this conflict, numerous countries around the world have offered capacity within their medical systems given the unprecedented number of injured children in the conflict, including Ireland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Malta, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, the US, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan and Qatar.
There is no such UK scheme in place for people affected by the conflict in Gaza/Israel, and the need is immense due to the decimated medical infrastructure and unsafe conditions across Gaza.
We hope that our work at PPH now sets a precedent for injured children from Gaza to have access to treatment in the UK going forward. It is essential that we establish this legacy, and provide urgent medical treatment to these children who desperately need it.
Creating a safe pathway for children who are affected by the Middle East conflict to receive urgent and necessary medical treatment in the UK, such as trauma support, cancer therapies, and psychological support.
Offering high-quality specialized medical care to children, affected by the conflict, in specialized institutions in the UK, supported by (but not funded through) the NHS.
We will deliver treatment to our patients in the private wings of some of the best paediatric hospitals in the UK.
Ensuring the costs are covered through private funding (charities, private family offices, individual sponsors) and to explore the possibility of governmental support.
Providing comprehensive logistical support throughout the process, from triage and transfer to the UK, to safe interventions and return to a place of safety.
Prioritizing the delivery of medical and psychosocial treatment and support to the children who have the most severe and urgent needs.
We acknowledge the need for multi-agency collaboration across the Department of Health and Social Care, the Home Office, and the FCDO to enable the transfer of the children, as has been done previously for the war in Ukraine.
To establish a safe route for children affected by the conflict in the Middle East to access urgent and necessary medical treatment in the UK (eg trauma support, cancer therapies, and psychological support):
Identify suitable cases through on-the-ground partners and local clinicians as per the criteria above.
Our on-the-ground partners have extensive experience and have already assisted with the safe evacuation of patients for treatment in the conflict. These logistics would be enhanced by the assistance of British embassies in the region.
Review suitability for care in the UK via an online medical multidisciplinary team (MDT) forum to include paediatric surgeons, plastic surgeons, general surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, oncologists, physicians, radiologists and physiotherapists. The MDT forum will review relevant medical history, treatment and diagnostic tests. They will then decide on suitability for transfer and the treatment plan in the UK. This process will be patient-centered and collaborative to ensure the best possible outcome for the child. The MDT forum will include:
Liaison with the relevant country foreign office, home office and NGO teams to arrange necessary paperwork, transfer and plan for return. These teams will liaise with each other on every case to ensure legal obligations across all relevant jurisdictions are met.
Liaison across all the stakeholders above to ensure safe transfer. Critical care transport team to have support from:
We aim to provide well-defined medical care to children affected by the conflict in specialised institutions in the UK, supported by (but not funded through) the NHS. We will deliver treatment to our patients in the private wings of some of the best paediatric hospitals in the UK.
We will focus on delivering medical, psychosocial treatment and support, including:
As well as medical needs, consideration of interpreting needs, psychosocial needs, housing needs for relatives and the child as appropriate.
Ongoing liaison with relevant jurisdictions to ensure safe return of children after treatment as per UN guidelines and domestic and international law.
We have prepared a few case studies to provide context to the urgent needs of 1000s of children. These cases studies contain disturbing descriptions and imagery, viewers discretion is advised.
We will have an open and collaborative approach with a willingness to share legal resources and information with any partner organisations engaged in similar efforts.
This project is being coordinated by a group of NHS Consultants who are collaborating with various organizations in the UK and abroad. The multidisciplinary team are working together to identify and prioritize the children who have the most urgent/complex need and are eligible for our help and assistance.
We have designed a pathway that has engaged relevant stakeholders and will follow a multidisciplinary, patient centered approach. The stakeholders involved are:
Children with complex severe injuries requiring specialist treatment. Children will have received initial care within the local geography to ensure stabilization.
Children whose medical conditions require specialized attention, expertise, and resources beyond the standard capabilities of local healthcare facilities (in the Middle East region).
Cases where medical intervention is crucial to prevent further complications and disability.
Local healthcare infrastructure (within the conflict region/ Middle East) is insufficient or overwhelmed.
Children who have been relocated to safe areas outside the conflict zone, ensuring a secure environment for ongoing medical treatment and recovery.
Cases that have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by legal teams to ensure compliance with international laws and regulations governing the relocation of individuals for medical purposes.
Collaboration with internationally recognized and established humanitarian organizations with on-the-ground teams to assist with identification of cases, medical assessment needs and visa support.
Cases where specialized medical care is likely to result in significant improvement in the child's health, well-being, and overall quality of life.
Any children deemed suitable for transfer must have a legal guardian in order to be suitable for transfer to the UK. Legal considerations will likely include having a Standard Visitor visa, a family permit, a visa waiver or an electronic travel authorizations (for both child/ and care giver); and providing evidence of the medical condition, the treatment plan, the cost and duration of the treatment, and the financial means to pay for it. In addition we recognize the need for enhanced DBS checks for child-minders and childcare workers who may look after the children during their stay in the UK.
We intend to return the children to a place of physical and psychological safety where they can continue their rehabilitation (likely within the wider Middle East / GCC region which will be established on a case by case basis, and planned for as part of the assessment and triage process). Transfer and return of children after treatment will adhere to UN guidelines, domestic and international law.
Our partner NGO (PCRF) has successfully repatriated children they took to the US, by arranging accommodation in Egypt before taking them to the US, so they had a place to return to. We are taking a similar approach with PCRF for our project. We are also working with the UN Refugee Agency to ensure that we adhere to international law and that children are repatriated according to their recommendations.
Funding for all the activities mentioned above will be 100% covered by Project Pure Hope, this is why we are fundraising. There is no UK scheme in place for injured children from Gaza and so we have no access to UK Government funding or any other source.
This initiative will not be reliant on NHS support. The costs associated with treating children identified through this project are being covered by charities, family offices, and private funders who have generously donated to this noble cause. See below about how to donate.
PPH operates with the highest standards of transparency and accountability, ensuring that every penny raised directly supports the children in need. Our anchor charity, UCLH Charity, is a UK registered, well-established organisation with a proven track record in managing charitable funds for healthcare initiatives.
By partnering with UCLH Charity, we ensure that all donations are held and deployed under robust governance arrangements, giving donors full confidence in how their contributions are used. Crucially, UCLH Charity has waived all administrative fees, meaning that 100% of the funds raised go directly toward medical care, accommodation, and essential support services for the children and their families. This structure guarantees that every donation has maximum impact - providing life-saving treatment and helping us create a sustainable model to support more children in the future.
All PPH team members are pro-bono volunteers.
There are two ways to donate. Tap the Donate Online button above to launch our JustGiving page, which provides a fast online donation portal and collects Gift Aid declarations. Alternatively, you can make a bank transfer to our partner charity's bank details.
Donations are open to all and will only be used to cover costs directly related to the treatment and rehabilitation of the children. Funds will be used to support the children’s care in the UK (where possible), to support medical evacuations such as our work in Italy, and when required: to offer expert advice and support remotely or face-to-face. Project Pure Hope team members are working pro bono, and the hospitals will do their work at cost.
Funds are held by UCLH Charity with an agreed management protocol. UCLH Charity are operating a 100% donation policy - so all funds raised will only be used for the costs associated with the treatment and rehabilitation of the children.
If you have any queries or suggestions, please complete our short contact form and a member of our team will respond to you.
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