THE Home Office will make it more difficult for asylum seekers from Gaza to flee the ongoing genocide by coming to the UK.
Officials have rewritten the advice used by caseworkers after concluding the area is no longer gripped by the same level of indiscriminate violence seen before the October 2025 "ceasefire", which – according to the country's health ministry – has seen more around 1050 people killed by Israel since.
Previously, the Home Office security guidance accepted that civilians in Gaza faced a risk of serious harm.
However, the revised guidance now states that the “scale and intensity of violence have decreased significantly”.
It says: “The security situation in Gaza is such that there are not substantial grounds for believing there is a real risk of serious harm because there exists a serious and individual threat to a civilian’s life or person by reason of indiscriminate violence.”
Instead, officials are told: “A person may still face a real risk of serious harm if they are able to show that there are specific reasons over and above simply being a civilian affected by indiscriminate violence.”
The guidance means Home Office caseworkers will no longer treat being a civilian from Gaza, by itself, as enough to meet that legal test. It does stress that “each case must be considered on its individual facts” and that applicants may still qualify for protection depending on their personal circumstances.
The guidance also acknowledges that Israeli military operations and air strikes have continued since the ceasefire, “leading to ongoing casualties and further damage to civilian infrastructure”.
The guidance is intended for officials deciding asylum claims and is based on country evidence available up to June this year. It does not replace separate Home Office guidance on Gaza’s humanitarian situation, which continues to state that conditions there may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment under human rights law.
The Home Office says the updated security assessment “reflects the latest evidence following the October 2025 ceasefire”.
A spokesperson added: “Following a thorough assessment, it has been determined the scale and intensity of violence in Gaza has decreased significantly since the 10 October 2025 ceasefire and this should be factored into immigration claims.
“We continue to assess all the evidence provided by claimants. Individuals from Gaza may still qualify for refugee status or humanitarian protection based on their circumstances.”
