‘I lost hope with the Home Office’: Palestinians fundraise to evacuate family in Gaza

Hadil Louz raised £20,000 for her mother and four siblings to flee Gaza after being told by the Home Office they were not at ‘personal risk’. Photograph: Katherine Anne Rose/The Observer

When Hadil Louz heard the news that her family were going to be evacuated from Gaza earlier in March, the relief was immense.

“I was really happy, I screamed in the house shouting how happy I am because it took us a lot of time, effort, stress and uncertainty,” she said. “At the same time, there was a heartache thinking of my other sisters and brother who are still stuck in Gaza with their children.”