More than 200 Palestinian students have reportedly earned places at leading British universities, yet the Government will help them leave Gaza only if they secure scholarships covering every penny of their fees and living costs. Actor Juliet Stevenson says the policy presents young people who have survived bombardment, bereavement and the destruction of their education system with an almost impossible final obstacle.
For Sheam Abu Dalu, studying artificial intelligence and computer science at the University of Edinburgh is not simply an academic ambition. It represents a route out of an existence dominated by bombardment, displacement, bereavement and the daily struggle to find food, water, electricity and an internet connection.
The young Palestinian student has been offered a place at Edinburgh after completing her secondary education in circumstances few British students could imagine. Her home has been destroyed. She says she lost her mother, twin sisters and brother, leaving her alone with her father. She was injured in the attack that killed her family, trapped beneath the rubble for three hours and unable to walk properly for approximately a month.
Despite everything, she continued studying.
“Coming to the UK is like a dream for me, especially nowadays with everything happening here in Gaza,” Abu Dalu told Novara Media in an interview broadcast on 30 July 2026. “Education has been destroyed by all means here in Gaza. There are no schools, no colleges and nowhere to continue my education.”
Her university offer should have marked the end of one ordeal and the beginning of a new life. Instead, it has brought her up against a funding requirement that threatens to keep her trapped inside the devastated enclave.
The British Government has agreed to assist students with visas and onward travel, but only when they possess a fully funded and independently verified scholarship covering both tuition fees and living expenses. Its published eligibility rules make clear that an offer from a British university is not enough.
Phoenix Space, the education charity attempting to bridge that gap, says more than 200 students in Gaza have secured places at leading universities but remain unable to take them up. The charity has responded by bringing together actors, musicians, writers and sports personalities for a celebrity auction intended to turn personal memorabilia into scholarships.
Among those supporting the campaign is Juliet Stevenson, the acclaimed actor known for Truly, Madly, Deeply, Bend It Like Beckham and a distinguished career on the British stage. Speaking to Novara Media, Stevenson delivered a forceful condemnation of the financial barrier and of the wider British response to Gaza.
“These students have achieved these places not through any charitable avenue, but because they have earned them through academic merit,” Stevenson said. “On top of that, they have had to do this in incredible circumstances.”
Education amid the rubble
Abu Dalu grew up around technology. Both her parents were computer engineers, and their work inspired her interest in computing from childhood. While at secondary school, she joined technology clubs and training programmes and was eventually selected for TechGirls, an international exchange programme in the United States.
She described that opportunity as transformative. It encouraged her to imagine a future in artificial intelligence, computer science and technological development, but those plans were shattered when the war began.
Her final year at school was delayed for two years. Teachers and professors were killed, buildings were destroyed and conventional lessons became impossible. She eventually completed Grade 12 through remote study, attempting to attend online classes amid power cuts, telecommunications failures, displacement and continuing attacks.
Even participating in her Novara Media interview required a difficult journey. With no reliable power or internet connection at home, she said she had to walk miles to an internet café and pay an “insanely” high price to get online.
UNESCO’s most comprehensive physical assessment illustrates the scale of the destruction surrounding students such as Abu Dalu. The agency found that 95 per cent of Gaza’s higher education campuses had been affected. Of 38 campuses examined, 22 had been completely destroyed and another 14 had sustained damage. Some 195 of the 206 university buildings assessed were either destroyed or so severely damaged that they were no longer operational.
The destruction extended far beyond lecture halls. UNESCO documented the loss or severe damage of approximately 120,000 computers and laptops, 105 servers and 620 specialised laboratories and educational facilities. It also reported that at least 1,112 university staff members had been killed, injured or detained, while warning that the true number was probably higher.
For Stevenson, the determination of students to apply for British universities in those conditions makes the Government’s funding demand appear especially cruel.
She recounted accounts of applicants climbing rubble to obtain a faint mobile signal, sometimes exposing themselves to possible sniper or drone fire simply to submit university forms. One student, she said, crossed dangerous territory to reach a temporary internet hub for an entrance examination, only for the connection to fail halfway through the test.
More than 200 nevertheless succeeded in earning offers, according to Phoenix Space.
The British Government’s condition now requires them to demonstrate that both their tuition fees and living costs will be fully covered. Stevenson said campaigners were working on the basis that at least £17,000 would be needed for each student, although the actual cost will vary substantially according to the course, institution, location and length of study.
“How is a Gaza student supposed to do that?” she asked. “People are starving in Gaza. They have not got the money to feed their families, let alone pay these large sums.”
A scholarship policy with a narrow gate
The Government presents its policy as a safe and controlled means of helping high achieving students leave Gaza. In June, ministers announced that eligible scholarship recipients would receive assistance with visa processing, departure and onward travel.
The Foreign Office said the programme would build upon the evacuation of more than 100 scholarship students during the previous academic year. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said talented students “must not be denied their chance to study” because of conditions in Gaza.
The problem lies in the definition of who qualifies for that assistance. Students must already possess funding for all course fees and living expenses before the Government will attempt to facilitate their departure. Universities must provide the names of eligible students by 31 October 2026, while the Government warns that departure dates cannot be guaranteed because movement out of Gaza depends upon Israel and other international partners.
The policy therefore does not itself provide most of the scholarships. It assists students only after universities, charities or private donors have solved the central financial problem.
There has been some progress on another major obstacle. In 2025, Gaza students could not complete the biometric checks normally required for British visas because the application centre inside the territory had closed. Following legal and political pressure, special arrangements were established allowing selected students to leave Gaza and provide their fingerprints and photographs in a third country.
The current scheme still requires biometrics and security checks before a final visa decision, but it no longer requires students to reach a conventional application centre before the Government begins supporting their departure.
Stevenson welcomed that movement while arguing that the funding rule simply replaces one impossible barrier with another.
“It is slightly torturous to say to these students that they have got to produce these large sums of money, because there is no way they can do that,” she said.
Phoenix Space says it and its partners supported 110 students to leave Gaza and begin studying at British universities during the previous academic year. Around 100 students began courses during 2025 and 2026, according to reporting by The National, but hundreds more are now waiting.
Celebrities turn personal possessions into scholarships
The Scholarships for Gaza celebrity auction opened on 27 July and brings together more than 20 prominent supporters.
Stevenson donated one of her earliest and most treasured books, The Concise Encyclopedia of English and American Poets and Poetry. She received it as a school prize when she was approximately 15 and kept it on her bookshelf throughout her adult life. The lot includes a handwritten message and an hour long online conversation with the winning bidder.
The symbolism was deliberate. The campaign initially asked participants to donate an object connected to their own education, linking the opportunities they had enjoyed with those now being denied to Palestinian students.
Gary Lineker contributed a signed football shirt from his time playing for Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan. Nicola Coughlan and Siobhán McSweeney donated a signed photograph taken behind the scenes during Derry Girls. Paapa Essiedu offered his personal copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, signed and dedicated to the successful bidder.
Dame Harriet Walter donated a signed book and her annotated script from the Donmar Warehouse’s all female production of Julius Caesar. Brian Cox contributed memorabilia and a signed book, while Maxine Peake offered a production hoodie from I Swear, a cap from Say Nothing and the woollen hat she wore while playing Hamlet at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.
Charlotte Church offered a place at one of her wellness retreats. Dame Janet Suzman donated a vintage Christian Lacroix brooch, while Dame Vanessa Redgrave contributed an antique pearl necklace worn during her Tony Award winning performance in the 2003 Broadway revival of Long Day’s Journey Into Night. The more valuable jewellery is expected to be auctioned separately through Bonhams.
For Stevenson, however, charitable fundraising does not absolve ministers of responsibility.
The Government announced in June that it would facilitate the departure of fully funded students, presenting the measure as part of Britain’s commitment to Palestinian education and the eventual reconstruction of Gaza. Stevenson argued that the state should be providing the funding itself rather than leaving traumatised students dependent upon celebrity memorabilia and public donations.
“Apology is meaningless unless it is put into action”
Stevenson’s criticism extended beyond the scholarship policy to Britain’s military and political relationship with Israel.
The interview took place only ten days after Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, replacing Keir Starmer on 20 July. Before entering Downing Street, Burnham apologised for Labour’s initial response to Israel’s assault on Gaza, acknowledging that the party had been too slow to demand a ceasefire and promising greater pressure upon the Israeli government.
Stevenson said she welcomed the apology but regarded it as worthless unless accompanied by a fundamental policy change.
“Apology is completely meaningless unless it is put into action,” she said. “Now is not the time for words. Words need to be followed by action and a complete change of policy.”
Her first demand was an end to British arms transfers to Israel, including the supply of components entering the international F35 combat aircraft programme. She also called for sanctions, divestment and wider commercial pressure.
The previous Labour government suspended a limited number of export licences in September 2024 after concluding that certain equipment presented a clear risk of contributing to serious violations of international humanitarian law. It retained an exemption for components entering the multinational F35 supply pool, from which Israel can obtain parts.
Government figures published in February 2026 showed that 395 non suspended export licences involving Israel remained in force, including 203 classified as military. Ministers maintained that most covered reexports, testing, defensive equipment, civilian protection or items not assessed as useful in operations in Gaza. The figures nevertheless included licences connected to the global F35 programme, where Israel remains a potential end user.
Stevenson accused Britain of complicity through its continuing military and commercial links, while urging Burnham to impose sanctions and resist pressure from supporters of the Israeli government.
Referring to an earlier Novara Media discussion about terrorism legislation and restrictions upon Palestinian solidarity activism, she also alleged that powerful pro Israel lobbying had exerted an excessive influence upon British policy. She presented no detailed evidence for the claim during the interview, but argued that Burnham would need to find his “moral muscle” and withstand organised pressure if his apology was to amount to anything.
Her intervention comes as the legal and political language surrounding Gaza has shifted. A United Nations mandated Commission of Inquiry concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Israel categorically rejected that finding and continues to insist that its military campaign is directed against Hamas rather than the Palestinian population. South Africa’s genocide case against Israel remains before the International Court of Justice and has not yet received a final judgment.
Although an internationally brokered ceasefire has reduced the intensity of the war, it has not ended Palestinian deaths. More than 1,200 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the ceasefire began, while Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups continue to accuse one another of violations.
“I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror”
Stevenson was also asked whether her public support for Palestinian rights had damaged her acting career.
She acknowledged receiving hostile messages and said there was no way to know whether she had lost work because of her position. The possibility did not appear to trouble her.
“What does my career really matter against those things?” she asked. “We have one life, and it is up to you to stand up and speak about what you believe in.”
Stevenson said witnessing what she described as a live streamed genocide had permanently changed her. She condemned the restriction of aid, the withholding of baby formula, the treatment of Palestinian detainees and attacks upon doctors, medical workers and hospitals.
“I need to align myself behind what I believe in,” she said. “Then at least I feel I have done something with this life. Otherwise, I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror.”
Rather than feeling isolated, Stevenson said she had found support among the large numbers of ordinary people who had marched, protested, raised money and risked arrest or professional consequences while speaking about Gaza.
“I feel more supported by that community than I feel threatened by those who oppose it,” she added.
A degree intended to help rebuild Gaza
For Abu Dalu, the political arguments in Westminster are inseparable from the practical question of whether she will be allowed to live long enough to reach Edinburgh.
She described almost three years in which security had ceased to exist. Her home was gone, most of her immediate family had been killed and every ordinary task had become a struggle.
“There is not even a moment when I can stay quiet and safe,” she said. “Whenever I blink, something bad happens. Every moment I live here in Gaza, I live with the fear that I will lose my life or someone I love in the next moment.”
The deprivation extends to the simplest necessities. Shelter, food and water are difficult to obtain, while electricity and internet access have become expensive luxuries. Sleep is interrupted by explosions and the expectation of terrible news.
“These are really simple things that everyone should have,” she said. “It is a right to learn, to live peacefully and to sleep at night without waking up to a horrible sound or receiving bad news about someone you love.”
Abu Dalu nevertheless speaks about returning to Gaza rather than abandoning it. If she can complete her degree, she hopes to bring the knowledge home and contribute to reconstruction.
She wants to apply artificial intelligence and computer science to the rebuilding of Gaza’s shattered education and health systems. What Britain could offer her is not merely safety, but the technical training required to help restore the society that war has attempted to erase.
“I will take the knowledge I gain from the UK back to my people in Gaza,” she said. “Maybe I can help renew the education sector or the health sector, because everything is shattered and destroyed.”
That ambition exposes the contradiction at the heart of the British policy. Ministers say students are being prioritised partly because of the contribution they may eventually make to Gaza’s reconstruction. Yet the same students cannot obtain government assistance until somebody else has raised enough money to satisfy the visa rules.
Abu Dalu appealed to the public to donate, bid or simply circulate the campaign.
“There are around 200 students, and even more, who have university acceptances but do not have enough funding to attend,” she said. “This campaign could change their lives. Every little thing matters, every voice counts and every donation counts.”
Behind each scholarship is a student who has already crossed an extraordinary distance without leaving Gaza: surviving attacks, burying relatives, studying without classrooms and searching through rubble for an internet signal strong enough to carry an application.
The remaining distance between Gaza and a British university is now measured not only in miles, border crossings and security checks, but in money. Stevenson and the other campaigners are attempting to raise it. Her challenge to Burnham is whether a government that acknowledges Britain got Gaza wrong will finally assume responsibility for removing that last barrier itself.