A Glasgow-based refugee from Gaza has claimed his sister-in-law would still be alive today had the UK Home Office approved her visa application to join him in Britain. Anwar, who fled Gaza in 2020 and was granted refugee status in 2021, applied in October 2025 to bring his brother, his wife Maryam, and their two young children to the UK after much of Gaza was destroyed in the conflict that followed the October 2023 Hamas attacks. Maryam, who was battling cancer, died in Gaza after the family's application was rejected. The case has reignited debate over the UK's family reunion visa policy and its consequences for vulnerable families caught in conflict zones.
Anwar, who lives in Glasgow, says Home Office refused visa application despite Maryam having cancerA man living in the UK has said he believes his sister-in-law who died from cancer in Gaza would still be alive today if the Home Office had agreed to bring her and her family to Britain.Anwar, who lives in Glasgow, fled Gaza in 2020 and was granted refugee status in the UK in 2021. After the destruction of large areas of Gaza by Israeli forces following the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, he applied to bring his brother Hassan, Hassan’s wife, Maryam, their two young children and other family members to the UK in October 2025. He said the Home Office rejected their application. Continue reading...
