Teenager from Gaza ‘stuck in hell’ after being prevented from joining mother in UK

Dania Alafranji, 16, with her mother, Hayat Ghalayini. ‘We can’t learn here, 90% of the schools and universities have been destroyed, and the rest are used as shelters.’ Photograph: Courtesy of Hayat Ghalayini

A teenager from Gaza who has been denied an opportunity to attend school in Britain and be reunited with her mother has said she is “stuck in hell”, despite other European countries making exceptions for students from the region.

Dania Alafranji, 16, was accepted on to the Nsouli Scholars Programme to attend Reddam House school in Berkshire more than 18 months ago, but has yet to receive a visa that would allow her to escape the war in Gaza, with her family saying that they feel helpless and have been “going in circles” trying to get her to Britain.