LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain’s interior ministry has agreed to adapt immigration arrangements to help several dozen students from Gaza take up fully funded United Kingdom university places next month, the government confirmed Tuesday.

It is understood the students will be permitted to undergo biometric checks in a third country before travelling on to the UK to take up their places.

However, the Israeli government would still need to agree to each student leaving Gaza, as diplomatic relations worsen with London.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last month that the UK will recognise a Palestinian state if Israel does not take a series of steps, including agreeing to a truce in its war with the militant group Hamas.

Of the approximately 40 students set to be eligible for support heading to the UK, nine are due to pursue scholarships under the Chevening scheme, according to the BBC.

A predominantly UK government-funded initiative, it enables “outstanding emerging leaders from all over the world” to pursue a one-year master’s degree in the UK, according to the foreign ministry.

Interior minister Yvette Cooper has also approved plans to help around 30 others who have won fully funded scholarships through other private schemes to reach the UK, the BBC reported.

An interior ministry source told British media the arrangements are “complex and challenging” but Cooper “wants no stone unturned” so the prospective Gaza students can take up their places in the coming weeks.