NHS doctor who ‘glorified terrorist violence’ wins deportation challenge

An Egyptian NHS doctor who “glorified terrorist violence” by mocking Israeli civilians fleeing the Hamas attacks on 7 October has won a legal challenge against deportation.

In one of three social media posts hours after the attacks began in 2023, Dr Menatalla Elwan, 34, who worked at an NHS trust in Liverpool, reposted footage of music festivalgoers running from Hamas terrorists and wrote “if it was your home, you would stay and fight”, accompanied by a smiling face emoji.

The Home Office tried to remove her temporary right to remain in the UK, but Elwan, who has lived in the country legally since 2016, challenged the decision and was backed by an immigration tribunal judge.

On 7 October 2023, militants from Hamas, an organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, entered Israel and carried out attacks on civilians.

Judge Davies said Elwan’s reposting of the video along with her comments amounted to “expressions of support and justification for, and indeed glorification of, Hamas terrorist violence”.

In a second post, Elwan said: “Israel was never a country. They illegally occupied Palestine. Would u support Russia invading Ukraine? Israel kill Palestinians everyday, didn’t see anyone caring. Also there are no civilians in Israel.”