Anger at Foreign Office over report of Palestinian scholar's death

Chevening Award winner Dr Maisara Al Rayyes has reportedly died alongside members of his family in Gaza

Dr Maisara Al Rayyes and fiance, Laura

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

A Palestinian former recipient of a prestigious Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office scholarship programme has reportedly been killed in Gaza, sparking backlash over the department’s announcement of his death.

According to a statement by King’s College London, where Dr Maisara Al Rayyes studied, he was killed in Gaza alongside members of his family.

The FCDO’s Chevening Awards programme offers scholarships and fellowships to study in the UK and Dr Al Rayyes was a past winner.

“We are devastated to learn about the death of Chevening alumnus Dr Maisara Al Rayyes and members of his family," the programme posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“We send our deepest condolences to his surviving family. Our thoughts and the thoughts of the Chevening alumni community are with you.”

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, was among those condemning the Foreign Office statement, which did not give details about how or where Dr Al Rayyes died.

“Palestinians do not just die. Israel bombed the home of my friend, Chevening alumnus Maisara Al Rayyes, killing him and his family," Mr Zomlot said, calling the statement unacceptable.

“Palestinians are killed. And not just in last month but over 75 years of oppression, ethnic cleansing, occupation and murder.

“Enough of playing with words to avoid holding the perpetrators of mass murder and crimes against humanity to account.”

A statement from what appears to be the Chevening community “around the world” also formed part of the backlash against the government department’s announcement.

It said community members “vehemently condemn” the killing of Dr Al Rayyes and his family members.

It added that the statement was written “to unequivocally reject the callousness displayed by the Chevening FCDO in offering condolences for Maisara’s death as if it were a mere commonplace demise, in a blatant attempt to absolve Israel of its heinous war crimes and the massacre of innocent civilians is both infuriating and heart-wrenching”.

Dr Al Rayyes was pictured with Foreign Secretary James Cleverly after what the British consulate in Jerusalem called an exchange on the “challenges and aspirations of young Palestinians” in September.

The latest from the Israel-Gaza war - in pictures

Smoke rises as displaced Palestinians take shelter at Al Shifa hospital. Reuters

A Palestinian girl wounded in Israeli strikes waits for treatment at Al Shifa hospital, in Gaza city. Reuters

Flames rage in a field near the border village of Burj Al-Mamluk, in southern Lebanon's Khiam plain, after an Israeli bombardment. AFP

Smoke rises after air strikes during direct combat between the Israeli army and Hamas, near the beach road in Gaza city. EPA

Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, looking for safety, camp on the grounds of Al Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

People search through buildings, destroyed during Israeli air strikes in Khan Younis, Gaza. Getty Images

Israeli troops during operations in northern Gaza. AFP

A photo taken from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza shows the continued Israeli bombardment of the northern Gaza Strip. AFP

Palestinian men pray over the bodies of members of the Abu Taim family before burial in Khan Younis. AFP

Israeli soldiers stand amid rubble during the ground invasion against Palestinian militant group Hamas, in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A woman and two children evacuated from Gaza walk on the tarmac at the Baza 90 air force base in Otopeni, Romania, after arriving from Egypt. AP

Gazans inspect the Khaled bin Al-Walid Mosque, which was destroyed during Israeli air raids in Khan Younis. Getty Images

Residents flee from Al Shatea refugee camp during combat between the Israeli army and Hamas in Gaza city. EPA

An artillery unit moves near the border with Lebanon, in Tel Aviv, Israel. Getty Images

Smoke rises during direct combat between the Israeli army and militants of the Ezz Al-Din Al Qassam militia, the military wing of the Hamas movement, at the beach road in west-centre Gaza City. EPA

People search for survivors and bodies after a building was hit by Israeli bombing in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP

A boy learns his father has been killed in an Israeli air strike at a hospital in Khan Younis. Reuters

Israeli soldiers training in the upper Galilee region, near the border with Lebanon. AFP

Destruction in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot in southern Israel. Reuters

A girl looks on as bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes are laid out at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Reuters

Mourners pray next to the bodies of members of the Daher family, who were killed by Israel strikes, at the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

A satellite image shows the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. Reuters

People search through the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in Khan Younis. Getty Images

Smoke rises over the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from Sderot. Reuters

An ambulance transporting injured Palestinians to Egyptian hospitals for treatment waits on the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing. Reuters

Palestinian doctor Mohammad Abu Namoos, who chose to stay in Gaza to treat patients, says goodbye to his family before they leave. Reuters

The funeral of three children and their grandmother killed in an Israeli air strike in Blida, Lebanon. EPA

Palestinian children denouncing the killing of children in Gaza by waving banners and flags during a sit-in protest at the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut. AFP

Men pray during a rally in support of Palestinians outside Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

A teddy bear symbolising hostages and missing children is placed on a bench in Tel Aviv, as people gather for a vigil to mark the one-month anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Reuters

A survivor of the Nova Festival attack, May Hayat, takes cover as rocket sirens sound, during her first visit to the scene of the attack, near Re'im, Israel. Reuters

Palestinians flee Gaza city to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din street in Bureij. AP

A satellite picture showing the Rafah border crossing to Egypt. AFP

People gather in Tel Aviv for a candlelit vigil to mark the one-month anniversary of the October 7 deadly attack by Hamas militants on Israel. Reuters

Doris Liber, whose son Guy Iluz is being held hostage in Gaza, during a press conference with House Republicans at the Capitol in Washington. AP

Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip on Salah al-Din Street in Bureij. AP

Mourners attend the funeral of four Palestinians killed by Israeli troops at Tulkarm refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank. EPA

The university said in a statement that it learnt of Dr Al Rayyes’ death with “great sadness”.

He joined the university in 2019 when he was awarded the Chevening Scholarship, undertaking an master's of science in women's and children’s health.

“During his time at King’s, his work was published in a number of high-profile journals, including the Journal of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine," the university said.

"And he was well respected and known among his colleagues for his dedication to improving health care for women and children in low-income and war-affected regions."

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.