Home Office staff have been instructed to flag Palestinian asylum claims for 'reputational risk' checks after a former bodyguard to the leader of Hamas was granted asylum in the UK. The individual, referred to as Mr. X for legal reasons, reportedly received asylum in 2015 and subsequently British citizenship, despite his previous role in the personal security detail of Ismail Haniyeh, who led Hamas in Gaza from 2007 to 2017.
Currently in his forties and a married father, Mr. X is facing extradition to Germany over allegations that he plotted an anti-Semitic terror attack to coincide with the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks. The scrutiny surrounding the security screening process for asylum seekers has intensified following a speech by Shabana Mahmood at the Labour conference, where she relaunched a resettlement scheme for individuals fleeing warzones, including Palestinians.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman stated that restarting the UK Resettlement Scheme is essential to assist those fleeing war and persecution. However, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticized the move, claiming it would allow new arrivals to use human rights laws to bring their families to the UK.
Another pathway for Palestinians to enter the UK is through the Gaza medical evacuation scheme, initiated in August, which allows seriously ill children and their immediate families to receive medical treatment in the UK.
Following media reports about Mr. X, the Home Office issued an urgent alert to staff, instructing them to notify senior officials of any asylum claims from families evacuated under the medical scheme. Asylum caseworkers have been directed to make a High Profile Notification for cases that could potentially embarrass the Home Office if publicized.
An insider familiar with the asylum process suggested that the warning was a response to negative media coverage of Mr. X's case. They indicated that officials are concerned that some family members of child victims may have connections to Hamas. The source mentioned that the current process involves merely asking asylum seekers about their involvement with Hamas, which may not yield truthful responses.
The Home Office has denied these allegations, asserting that asylum caseworkers conduct thorough interviews and assessments of applicants. They stated that 93 percent of asylum decisions meet official standards and emphasized their commitment to safeguarding national security.
Mr. X, who left Gaza in 2012 and arrived in the UK by 2015, is accused of orchestrating a terror plot against Israeli diplomats and Jewish communities in Germany and Austria, with the attacks planned for October 2025. He was arrested in London last November after intelligence reports from Mossad and German agencies.
In a separate incident, a Palestinian migrant who had previously called for violence against Jews was found living in taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation. Abu Wadee, 34, was jailed last year after arriving in the UK by small boat in March 2025. Following his release, he was housed in a property under the Home Office's asylum dispersal scheme, but officials are now seeking to remove him from the country.