Your daughter, once healthy and full of life, is now wasting away before your eyes. She doesn’t understand why this is happening. Why she can’t go home. Why she is trapped in a political warfare she never caused. Why, when adults around the world who talk about enemies and borders, children like her are the ones who pay. Innocent people on both sides are trapped in pain that they did not create. It is not a competition of suffering; it is a shared human tragedy.

Her name is Maryam Abdelaziz Mahmoud Dawas. She is eight years old. She has been displaced 13 times over a year and a half, and lives in a tent on the sand in Gaza. She has dreams of becoming a doctor, once she is better. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maryam suffers from an autoimmune disease, Marsh 3C coeliac’s, alongside severe malnutrition, and multi-system complications following repeated displacement and siege conditions. Once weighing 25 kg, she now weighs barely 9 kg. The World Health Organisation has verified and approved her case as urgent (Type A) for medical evacuation abroad. Despite this, she remains trapped without access to life-saving care. She is also homeless and lives in a tent. 

In an Interview to UNICEF, Maryam's mother describes her daughters struggles, how she suffered from siezures and needs to be carried to go to the bathroom, and many more painful descriptions of her suffering. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 8 September 2025, Maryam was formally accepted onto the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) evacuation list. This marks a critical milestone in her case. However that is only 1% of what still needs to be achieved. She is now awaiting allocation to an accepting country that can provide the urgent, specialist treatment her condition requires. This process can take up to 6 months. For a critically ill child in Gaza, most die on this waitlist.

Maryam’s family have been in touch with Great Ormond Street Hospital about her potentially being admitted as a private patient, but funding must be secured first. The hospital has reviewed her case and is prepared to consider admission once a funder is secured.

But despite this pathway being open in principle, Maryam cannot leave Gaza without formal clearance through the official humanitarian and government mechanisms. Every delay puts her at further risk as her health continues to decline.

Maryam's Story

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Her campaign has drawn extraordinary moral and diplomatic support. Supported by Labour MP Zarah Sultana and a coalition of cultural and humanitarian figures including Ms. Rachel (globally renowned and popular children’s education for parents and young children), Misan Harriman, Maxine Peake, Lisa Moorish, Nadia Sawalha, Pixie Geldof, physicians Dr Mohammed Mustafa and Dr Thaer Ahmed of MedGlobal who have worked in the Gaza Strip in their medical capacity, Cherien Dabis and many more.

What are we asking the UK Government?

On 3 August 2025, The Guardian reported that the UK government has pledged to evacuate 300 seriously ill and injured children from Gaza to receive urgent NHS medical care. This rare and vital humanitarian initiative was widely welcomed, a promise of hope for children trapped in unimaginable suffering. 

But that promise is meaningless unless it reaches children like 8 year old Maryam Abdulaziz Mahmoud Dawas. Maryam condition in the context of ongoing famine is effectively a death sentence. In such extreme conditions, children with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and compromised immune systems are always the first to succumb, as their bodies cannot withstand prolonged malnutrition, infection, and the absence of essential medical care and specialised nutrition. Maryam has been sick for a year and a half since the war began. Any minor improvements in her health follows with multiple relapses. Despite efforts to save her life in Gaza, her doctors have said that the only way she can survive, is for her treatment abroad and that she needs urgent medical evacuation abroad. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UK's Humanitarian Precedent 

The UK Prime Minister announced this medical evacuation initiative on 25 July 2025.

On 17 September 2025, the British Government announced through an official press release that the first group of children from Gaza had arrived in the United Kingdom to receive specialist treatment under the NHS. This marked a significant and compassionate step by the UK towards providing life-saving medical care to some of the most vulnerable victims of the conflict, a decision that demonstrated both moral leadership and humanitarian responsibility.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), since July 2024 only 39 injured civilians from Gaza have been medically evacuated to the UK; 36 of these injured civilians were medically evacuated in September 2025. 

The United Kingdom has a long-standing record of extending medical assistance to civilians and children affected by conflict. In 2012, Malala Yousafzai, then a 14-year-old girl injured in an assassination attempt by the Taliban in Pakistan, was airlifted to Birmingham, where she received life-saving care at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. More recently, the UK Government has provided specialist NHS treatment to Ukrainian civilians in the Russian-Ukraine war, through their UK visa support for Ukrainian nationals.

What has the UK offered so far to Maryam?

A British hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London, agreed to take Maryam under its care and prepared a comprehensive treatment plan valued at a significant cost, an amount corresponding to the standard costs of a long and complex course of treatment in a private British medical institution. Despite strong public mobilisation, the UK Government has not yet granted humanitarian assistance or exceptional medical support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Given that Maryam’s family is displaced and unable to afford such costs, and that no NGO has yet offered sponsorship or financial assistance, we respectfully request that the British Government consider Maryam’s case for treatment under the Gaza Taskforce NHS scheme, as an already WHO approved type A urgency case, as has been done for a number of other medically evacuated children from Gaza. 

These aforementioned precedents demonstrate the UK’s capacity and moral commitment to providing critical care for children from war zones. In this same spirit, we urge the British Government to extend the same humanitarian consideration to Maryam Dawas, whose condition remains life-threatening and who awaits acceptance from a country to medically evacuate her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why the UK?

The UK is the most suitable option for Maryam’s evacuation and treatment for the following reasons. We offer world-class paediatric expertise: GOSH has global recognition for its highly specialised care in treating complex, rare, and life-threatening conditions in children, precisely the expertise Maryam needs to address her compromised immune system and related complications. Unlike many hospitals worldwide, GOSH offers integrated treatment across immunology, gastroenterology, oncology, nutrition, and psychological support, ensuring Maryam’s needs are managed holistically. The UK has historically accepted medically vulnerable children from conflict zones, demonstrating both a moral responsibility and a legal framework that supports humanitarian admissions in such urgent cases.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The UK Government has already pledged through the Gaza Taskforce to facilitate evacuations for those most at risk. Maryam’s case, given her age, displacement, life-threatening condition, and multiple vulnerabilities, falls squarely within the scope of those commitments. The UK has robust diaspora and NGO networks, including Arabic-speaking medical and community support services, ensuring Maryam and her family would receive both medical and social support during treatment and recovery.

By accepting Maryam, the UK would not only save her life but also set a leading global example of its humanitarian values in action, reinforcing its position as a champion of child protection and international health equity, which we strongly believe in. For these reasons, the UK is uniquely positioned to safeguard Maryam’s life and provide her with the best chance of recovery.

Maryam's story is not just a heartbreaking statistic; it is a call to action. She represents countless other children whose voices are silenced by the sounds of war. There is an urgent necessity to evacuate her to a safer location where she can receive the proper medical care and nourishment she so desperately needs.

We must act now to facilitate her evacuation to safety before it becomes too late. Her life depends on our immediate action. Sign the petition to bring awareness and urgent humanitarian aid to save Maryam's life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maryam's story in her mother's words:

This is the interview Maryam's mother gave to media Anadolu on 02 August, 2025, which you can watch here in Arabic, the transcript translation in english is below: 

Video Translated Summary in English: 

1. Maryam’s Health Condition – [Maryam’s Mother]

Maryam has been suffering from severe malnutrition since the start of the war.
Maryam, who is about 9 years old, has suffered from severe malnutrition for around a year and a half, starting with the onset of the war. Her weight dropped from 25 kg before the war to 10–10.5 kg currently. She was a normal child and did not require medical follow-up before the war, but her condition deteriorated due to the war and displacement.

Medical treatment has not been effective.

Maryam was transferred to hospitals in the south and north and to “Friends of the Patient.” She spent a whole month in a hospital receiving therapeutic butter and F75 milk treatment, but was discharged at the same weight. Doctors recommended treatment abroad, but there are priorities and waiting lists, which worries the mother that Maryam’s condition may deteriorate to the point of death.

2. Displacement and Living Conditions – [Maryam’s Mother]

Displacement from the north and difficulty accessing aid

The family is displaced from Beit Lahia in the north and currently resides in the Al-Jawazat area. Aid is sporadic; the last time they received help was during Ramadan. There is no fair system or laws to ensure that aid reaches those in need. The mother has to go herself to collect the aid despite having other young twin children, and she has suffered injuries during this process.

Loss of income and support

Maryam’s father is unemployed, and the family has no source of income. They receive no support from any agencies despite Maryam’s critical health condition. The mother feels helpless, unable to meet even her daughter’s basic requests—like chicken wings, grapes, and fish—due to a lack of financial means.

3. Psychological and Social Impact – [Maryam’s Mother]

Deterioration of Maryam’s mental health

Maryam has become withdrawn and depressed. She has stopped walking, does not leave the camp, and does not interact with other children. The camp’s residents don’t even know she exists because she never goes out. When they see her for the first time, they feel sorry for her. The child expresses a longing to return to her previous self—to run and play again.

Loss of ability to enjoy her hobbies

Maryam used to love making beadwork as a hobby, but now she tires quickly when attempting to play or engage in this activity, and ends up needing to sleep. This reflects the toll malnutrition has taken on her energy and her ability to engage in normal childhood activities

We ask:

Yvette Cooper MP, the UK Home Secretary, to immediately issue a humanitarian visa for Maryam and her family to get medical treatment under the NHS as the Government plans. We urge Foreign Secretary David Lammy UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to work with Egypt, Israel, and the UN to negotiate her safe evacuation from Gaza. Within the Home Office, Marc Owen of UK Visas & Immigration holds the authority to approve flexible visa conditions in cases of extreme hardship.

We ask The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP, to raise Maryam’s case and lead by moral example by allowing her a safe entry into the UK via a call for a dedicated evacuation scheme for Medically ill Gazan children or a visa concession policy.

We ask Stephen Kinnockwell MP to escalate to the House of Commons, who spoke as shadow Immigration Minister in the Palestinian Family Visa Scheme debate, I called on the Government to fix the family visa route for Palestinians by allowing them visas to travel to nearby centers outside of Gaza to have their biometrics taken, similar to the arrangements made for Ukrainians.

We also call on leading parliamentarians who have long championed justice for the Palestinian people. Jeremy Corbyn MP, former Leader of the Labour Party, and Zarah Sultana MP, one of the most outspoken advocates for Gaza in the UK Parliament, are urged to support Maryam’s safe evacuation to get the medical treatment she needs.  

Thank you for all your support.