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| UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 31 March at 1pm (UK time) This is an open space where people exchange their emotional responses with a view to remaining resilient amidst a constant stream of distressing news. Please write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. Update from UK-Palestine Child Psychotherapists The group continues to post regular updates on its Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/palestineukchildpsychotherapy/ A face-to-face planning meeting will take place on 26 April, including a lunchtime talk by a guest speaker. A request has been submitted for a table in the foyer of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) Annual Conference to distribute materials and information related to Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon. Materials are being gathered, and further contributions are welcome. A new banner is being prepared for the group, incorporating the logos of No Child a Target, Doctors Against Genocide, and the Palestine-UK Child Psychotherapists. Three child psychotherapists will soon offer specialist training in response to a request from colleagues in Nablus. The training will support a local team working with parents whose children are experiencing severe anxiety, fear, and other forms of distress. Two of the therapists are Arabic speakers, and the third has conversational ability. Planning and consultation are under way, with an initial Zoom meeting scheduled for next week. https://ukpalmhn.com/child-psychotherapists-for-palestine/ Email: ukpalmhn@gmail.com CALLING ON PSYCHIATRISTS: Collectively we can do more. What do our Palestinian colleagues want from us as psychiatrists? How can we mobilise our UK colleagues and professional bodies to do more for Palestine? Please join me in setting up a group of Psychiatrists-4-Palestine, under the umbrella of UKPALMHN, to focus and magnify our work. Interested in joining or finding out more? Please email me on: drhkhalifeh@gmail.com. I am a Palestinian doctor, working as a Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist in an NHS London Trust. The challenge of healing in a colonial war context — with Dr Samah Jabr Saturday 5 April from 5pm – 7pm (UK time) (webinar in French with simultaneous translation into English available) What can we learn from Frantz Fanon in order to make mental health in occupied Palestine a space of care, but also of struggle? Dr Samah Jabr, a Palestinian psychiatrist will explore the perspectives Fanon’s thoughts offer for understanding and caring in a context of colonial war. Like Fanon before her, she refuses to isolate her clinical work from the struggle for liberation. Dr. Jabr will be joined by several mental health specialists, members of the France, Belgium, and Italy Palestine Mental Health Networks. The presentation will be extended by a round table and Q&A. Registration link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTbR846t6Mbm01SZhSDi1siiXIF2iregYFop7GXpaMvsEK7w/viewform The impact of the Gaza 2023 war on health care workers’ mental health: a preliminary report Source: Middle East Current Psychiatry Date: 18 March This article presents early findings on the psychological effects of the 2023 Israeli assault on Gaza among health care workers. It highlights high levels of trauma, emotional exhaustion, and functional impairment, based on data gathered from frontline staff. The authors stress the urgent need for both mental health support and broader humanitarian protection for medical personnel. https://mecp.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43045-025-00519-9‘ Mama, I’m tired – I want to die’: Israel’s strikes in Gaza leave a generation of Palestinian children traumatized Source: CNN Date: 18 March This report documents the psychological toll of Israel’s war on Gaza through the experiences of Palestinian children who have lost parents, siblings, and homes. Mental health professionals describe widespread signs of trauma, including night terrors, social withdrawal, and speech loss, in children across displacement shelters. The piece highlights both the emotional devastation and the lack of adequate mental health services amid ongoing bombardment. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/18/world/israels-strikes-in-gaza-palestinian-children-traumatized/index.html Trauma and sleep disruption in Gaza: a qualitative content analysis of war-related effects Source: BMC Psychology (open access) Date: 21 March Thematic content analysis of the interview transcripts led to the identification of five main themes. (1), sleepless nights amid constant fear (2), children’s sleep shattered by trauma. (3), the impact of overcrowded shelters on sleep. (4), mothers as guardians of sleepless nights. (5), health consequences of chronic sleep deprivation. The findings highlight the negative impact of war-related trauma on the sleep of Gazans, leading to various disturbances such as nightmares, particularly among children. https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-025-02599-y Why Palestinians can’t sleep Source: The Nation Date: 17 March This article explores the widespread sleep deprivation affecting Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank as a result of Israeli bombardment, displacement, and ongoing trauma. Drawing on interviews with mental health professionals and residents, it highlights how disrupted sleep patterns have become a marker of collective distress. The piece situates the crisis within the broader context of occupation, grief, and psychological exhaustion. https://www.thenation.com/article/world/palestine-sleep-crisis/ How the Israeli occupation further isolates autistic children Source: Middle East Eye Date: 22 March The Israeli occupation exacerbates the isolation of autistic children in the West Bank by imposing numerous challenges, such as navigating checkpoints and limited access to treatment options. These obstacles hinder their social integration and development. https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israeli-occupation-further-isolates-autistic-children-how How a doctor treated Palestinian victims of Israeli torture Source: The Electronic Intifada Date: 20 March This piece profiles Dr. Gamal Joulani, a Palestinian physician who has spent years treating survivors of Israeli torture in occupied East Jerusalem. Drawing on his clinical experience and public health research, Dr. Joulani details the long-term psychological and physical effects of torture, as well as the systemic impunity that enables it. The article also highlights the emotional toll on health professionals working under occupation. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/how-doctor-treated-palestinian-victims-israeli-torture Gaza doctors describe scenes of ‘armageddon’ after Israeli strikes shatter ceasefire Source: The Independent Date: 19 March Following the collapse of a ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have resulted in over 400 deaths, overwhelming medical facilities. Doctors report severe shortages of essential supplies, including diesel for generators and surgical items, as they struggle to treat the injured. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/gaza-air-strikes-israel-bombings-palestine-hamas-hostages-b2717684.html EVENTS Our Events page is updated weekly with events related to Palestine and mental health. In the past two weeks it has attracted about 40 users per week. https://ukpalmhn.com/events/ FEATURED EVENT Palestine? Racism? The Ethical Challenges Facing Psychoanalytic Practitioners Friday 11 April at 6.30pm Frontline Club,31 Norfolk Place London W2 1QH (In person and online) Speakers: Dr Samah Jabr: “Voicing the Unspeakable: Psychoanalysis, Ethics, and the Silencing of Palestine” Fakhry Davids: “Psychoanalysts and Gaza: Neutrality as a defence” Chair Prof Lesley Caldwell This event, organised by the Psychoanalytic Voices for Palestine (PvP) group, aims to advance discussion on the ethical responsibilities of psychoanalytic practitioners. In a professional landscape where “analytic neutrality” is often upheld as an ideal, such neutrality can sometimes function as a way of shutting down both individual and organisational responses to political and humanitarian crises. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/palestineracism-ethical-challenges-facing-psychoanalytic-practitioners-tickets-1269040928579 Israel-Palestine: Is unresolved group trauma an obstacle for peace? Saturday 29 March from 9:00am– 5:30pm An IGA Open Workshop Institute of Group Analysis, 1 Daleham Gardens, London NW3 5BY Speakers: Gabrielle Rifkind, Dick Blackwell, Sue Einhorn, Arturo Ezquerro and María Cañete This open workshop arises from an article of the same name published in January 2025 by the journal Group Analysis. The article explores how collective trauma shapes both societies, with Palestinians experiencing ongoing psychological harm due to continued occupation and violence. It argues that addressing this asymmetry and the persistent trauma inflicted on Palestinians is crucial for any genuine path toward peace. https://www.groupanalysis.org/post/israel-palestine-unresolved-group-trauma-is-an-obstacle-for-peacepalestine-unresolved-group-trauma-is-an-obstacle-for-peace Journal article (paid-for): https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/05333164241306348 ACTIONS Our Featured Action is available below and also on our dedicated Actions page together with a range of other current actions https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ FEATURED ACTION https://palestinecampaign.org/events/dont-buy-apartheid-day-of-action/ BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS (BDS) A founding aim of the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is to “encourage our colleagues individually and collectively to consider their response to the Palestinian call for boycott, sanctions and divestment (BDS).” Palestine Solidarity Campaign Boycott Action The Campaign launched on 19 March. It calls on all individuals, shops, cafés and venues to pledge to take two key actions to support Palestinians: boycott Israeli produce and boycott Coca-Cola. Watch this webinar on Wednesday 19 March to find out more about how to get involved in the Don’t Buy Apartheid campaign. Launch event on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyZ5DPLWdyQ Full details of the new campaign: https://x.com/PSCupdates/status/1899780352979112277 Oxford council passes Boycott Divestment and Sanctions motion Source: Middle East Eye Date: 26 March Oxford City Council has passed a motion supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, citing International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b36SnPNLqH0  |
الشبكة البريطانية الفلسطينية للصحة النفسية 