200 desperate Brits stuck in Gaza as Egypt refuses to open border and Israel keeps shelling area

The UK is unable to help 200 British nationals who are trapped in Gaza because Egypt continues to block the reopening of the crucial border crossing.

British officials are also concerned that those seeking to evacuate the region could be caught in fighting between Israel and Hamas.

Rishi Sunak revealed on Thursday that Border Force officials had flown to Egypt ready to help UK citizens currently in Gaza to leave the Middle East.

The Prime Minister said: “We’re very keen to be able to bring them out and bring them home. What I can tell you is we’ve pre-positioned Border Force teams to Egypt. So that if there is a possibility for our nationals to cross the Rafah crossing, we’re ready to get them in and bring them back.”

Around 200 people – believed to be the majority of British nationals in Gaza – have contacted the Foreign Office asking for assistance. Some have accused the Government of doing too little to help them.

British diplomats, along with Western allies, have been pushing the Egyptian authorities to open the border crossing at Rafah which would allow foreign nationals trapped in Gaza to leave.

But there has been little progress in talks since the start of the current conflict almost three weeks ago, sources say, with Egypt worried about the prospect of an influx of Palestinian refugees and possible infiltration by Hamas.

Israel’s government has also so far refused to guarantee that it will avoid any aerial assaults around the crossing to ensure those trying to leave Gaza can do so.

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Border Force officials will be able to process British nationals and visa holders if they are able to get through the crossing into Egypt, and help them access flights to the UK.

Lucy Moreton, an officer at Border Force union the ISU, said: “What they normally do is deal with individuals who say they have a right of entry into the UK but are not necessarily British nationals… It’s to stop people saying: ‘I’m a British national’ when the passport is forged or ‘I’ve got a right of entry’ when the documentation is incorrect.”

Mo el-Deeb, whose British-Palestinian parents Talal and Naila are stuck in Gaza, accused ministers of failing to help them. “[The Government] has made claims of being in talks and making progress for weeks,” Mr el-Deeb told i. “That is all hot air. The reality on the ground is that nothing is changing.” Mr el-Deeb’s parents have travelled to the Rafah crossing on various occasions before heading back into Gaza.

Mr Sunak has called for “humanitarian pauses” in Israel’s war on Hamas to give time for civilians to seek safety and aid to enter the area. He said: “Alongside aid, we also want to try and get our British nationals out of Gaza, for the hostages to be released. We recognise that for all of that to happen, there needs to be a safer environment.”