Gaza father in Salford pleads for wife and children to be reunited with him in UK

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Play Mute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently playing live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen Bassem Abudagga speaks with ITV Granada Reports' Reporter Emma Sweeney A father living in Salford says he fears for the lives of his wife and two young children, who have been trapped in Gaza for almost three years. Bassem Abudagga has not seen his family since September 2023, just weeks before the October 7 attacks and the war that followed. His wife and children are now living in a refugee camp after their home was destroyed. Bassem said daily phone calls with his family are the closest he has come to them for almost three years. Bassem's wife and children are now living in a refugee camp after their home was destroyed. Credit: Family handout He said: “Every time I call them, I can hear voices of bombs and shoots and the drones. “When I sleep in the night, I put my notifications on a speaker because I need to wake up if there is any notification to make sure that they are fine all night.” Bassem says his family don't really have clean water, "water that is drinkable" and struggle to get food. Bassem arrived in the UK in 2022 and is studying for a PhD focused on the reconstruction of war-torn Gaza. His studies are funded by the British Council through a special scheme for Palestinian academics. His family are eligible to join him in Britain on dependent visas, but their application has been held up because they cannot provide the required fingerprints. A lawyer representing Bassem stated that the closure of Gaza’s borders prevents his family from leaving the territory to complete the process, and prevents Bassem from entering. He is calling on the Home Office to make special arrangements so they can provide their fingerprints and continue their application. Bassem says he believes the UK government has the power to people living in Gaza. Credit: ITV News His lawyer, Sarah Crowe, Associate Solicitor at Leigh Day, says there are two potential routes for the family to complete the process. One would involve the Home Office allowing them to provide their fingerprints at a later stage. The other would involve the UK government providing assurances to Jordan that the family would be permitted to travel to Britain – a route which has previously been used for groups of students. Ms Crowe said: “So the borders are effectively closed in Gaza and no one can come in or out. That's why the family are trapped. And Bassem also can't reach them. "What we need is for the Home Office to make special arrangements so that the family can give their fingerprints.” However, Bassem has been warned that if the Jordanian route is pursued, his family may not receive an answer until December. He says his wife has become increasingly convinced they will never be allowed to join him in the UK. “She keeps saying that the UK government will never bring us to the UK,” he said. “They are just in tents, just a very tiny small piece of cloth trying to protect you from the rain and from the sun for three years. “Try to imagine how hard this life is?” Bassem says he believes the UK government has the power to help his family and others living in Gaza. He said: “My message to the government is to fulfil the promise upon stopping the atrocities that the people of Gaza are living through. “It is not only aid – we need the rebuilding process to start. “The education process needs to be again and normal life should start again in Gaza.” The Home Office said they could not comment on specifics, but they said: "Applicants who believe they cannot travel to a Visa Application Centre to enrol their biometrics can contact us to explain their circumstances." Want more on the issues affecting the North? Our podcast, From the North answers the questions that matter to our region.