A REFUGEE scheme must be set up by the UK Government to help civilians fleeing Gaza, an SNP MP has insisted.

Peter Grant will lead a debate at Westminster on Tuesday claiming the Tory Government has shown no interest “in supporting anyone who is not a UK national or passport holder” as the crisis continues to destroy lives in the Middle East.

He has said the UK Government must set out how it will support Palestinians going forward and allow British citizens to sponsor dependents fleeing Gaza.

The MP for Glenrothes has previously raised the case of Dr Lubna Hadoura – who lives and works as a surgeon in Fife - who has had several close relatives displaced and trapped in Gaza but has received no help from the UK Government.

She has already urged the UK Government to set up a scheme similar to the Ukraine Family Scheme which allows applicants to join family members, or extend their stay, in the UK.

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Grant said: “The ongoing conflict in Gaza will have ripple effects globally, with countless families from the Palestinian diaspora worried about loved ones caught up in the conflict.

“The UK Government is not doing enough to support Palestinian refugees who are fleeing Gaza - showing no interest in supporting anyone who is not a UK national or passport holder.

"The very least they should be doing is setting up a scheme similar to that offered to Ukrainian refugees.

"We know that the UK Government have the ability to do this. It's high time they deliver and protect those suffering from this horrific conflict."

The known Palestinian death toll now stands at more than 27,000 after nearly four months of attacks since October 7.

The UN has said more than one in four people in Gaza are starving, which eclipses near-famines in Afghanistan and Yemen in recent years.

The report warned that the risk of famine is “increasing each day”.

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Last month Israel was ordered by the UN’s top court to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza - including by its forces on the ground - and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

South Africa had requested the court to order a ceasefire but judges stopped short of doing this.

The International Court of Justice has not yet ruled on whether Israel has committed genocide - a decision which could take several years – but its provisional ruling provided an indication that judges believe genocide is plausible.

The court order stated that “there is a real and imminent risk that irreparable prejudice” will be caused to the rights of Palestinians in Gaza under the genocide convention.