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| PALESTINIANS ARE STARVING IN GAZA What action (big or small) is each of us going to take today? OPENING REMARKS AT PRESS BRIEFING TO PALESTINIAN JOURNALISTS BY JONATHAN WHITTALL, HEAD OF OFFICE FOR THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY FOR THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS (OCHA) https://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-warns-deliberate-dismantling-life-gaza Gaza City, 26 April 2025 As prepared for delivery Today, people are not surviving in Gaza – those who aren’t shot or bombed are slowly dying. They are being suffocated. What we see around us is endless suffering under a total and complete blockade, a total closure that has lasted now for almost two months while air strikes and ground operations intensify and displacement orders increase. We know that hospitals are overwhelmed, yet supplies are running out, and some of the sick and injured can’t be treated. We know that people are hungry and malnutrition rates are rising, but our warehouses are empty, bakeries are closed, and soon, community kitchens will be closing. We know that people are thirsty, but water wells are out of reach. We know that solid waste is piling up and sanitation conditions are deteriorating, but we can’t move the waste because landfills are unreachable and equipment unavailable. We know that people are trapped under the rubble, but there is limited fuel and limited machinery to rescue them. We know that land is shrinking with displacement orders, fishers shot at sea, and that nowhere is safe. We know that sewage is flowing in the streets, and we don’t have all the supplies needed to repair networks. We know that children need to learn, but schools are destroyed or inaccessible, and we don’t have education supplies. We know that prices of remaining goods are rising, but there is no cash available in Gaza. We know that there is no cooking gas or fuel and that people are burning trash to generate some energy. We know that UNRWA is irreplaceable but is under unprecedented pressure. We know that people are living on rubble, but we have no more tents to distribute. We know that this is not only about humanitarian needs but also about dignity. There is an assault on people’s dignity. We know that humanitarian workers, first responders and journalists – who should be protected, just like all civilians – are being killed in a war that appears to be fought without limits. People in Gaza tell me that they feel like it’s the deliberate dismantling of Palestinian life – in plain sight. Documented daily by all of you, Palestinian journalists. We have seen the images of children’s bodies being thrown from one building to another due to the force of a bombing. We have seen the videos of families being burnt alive. We have seen the bodies of our colleagues who have been killed. We have seen the total and complete destruction of infrastructure in Gaza all around us. We have seen patients having to be turned away after a hospital has been bombed and taken out of service. We can see every day, family members and friends of everyone in Gaza being killed or displaced. Together with you, we are witnessing these atrocities. As humanitarians, we can see that aid is being weaponized through its denial. There is no justification for this, and it has to stop. Lives depend on the blockade ending, aid flowing and a ceasefire being reinstated. I hope that we see real accountability – real accountability – before we see history judge those who watched what is happening in Gaza and did nothing. Posted on 26 April 2025 FEATURED ACTION Online Rally – Nakba 77 – Mobilise for Palestine Source: Palestine Solidarity Campaign (on YouTube) Date: Thursday 1 May at 7pm Hear from key speakers about how you can mobilise to take part in a series of actions in the week of Monday 12 May. These include a workplace day of action and build up to the 26th National Demonstration for Palestine on Saturday 17 May. These events mark the 77th anniversary of the 1947/8 Nakba which saw the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinian people from their homeland, and the destruction of over 500 cities, towns, and villages. This violence has never ended. The Nakba is ongoing with the current genocide its most extreme and brutal episode. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_HNJRRGEqc See this page for our full list of actions: https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Next meeting: Monday 5 May 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 email ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like to attend this meeting. National Demonstration – Nakba 77 Source: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Date: Saturday 17 May – Assemble at 12:00 Location: Assemble outside Embankment tube (more details to follow) A national demonstration will be held in central London to mark the 77th anniversary of the 1948 Nakba, calling for government action to end the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. The event aims to raise awareness and show solidarity with the Palestinian people. https://palestinecampaign.org/events/national-demonstration-nakba-77 ‘It would be easier to die in an airstrike than die of hunger’: Gazans face famine as UN runs out of food Source: Mondoweiss Date: 29 April This report documents the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where residents face imminent famine due to Israel’s blockade and the collapse of aid deliveries. Eyewitnesses and UN officials describe widespread starvation and desperation, particularly among children. https://mondoweiss.net/2025/04/it-would-be-easier-to-die-in-an-airstrike-than-die-of-hunger-gazans-face-famine-as-un-runs-out-of-food/ Where is Humanity? Does Anyone Still See Us? Report of Spring Study Tour to Palestine/Israel Source: Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) Date: 25 April The 15 internationals who participated in the recent ICAHD 11-day issue-based study tour to Palestine/Israel were repeatedly asked these questions. Palestinians are staggered by world governments that not only support Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the West Bank, but who also facilitate it. Several expressed that they have no faith in the international community and question why people are so uninterested and dispassionate about their suffering and death. The tour programme took the group as far south as the Naqab (Negev), north into the Galilee, west to Jaffa, Tel Aviv and Haifa and east along the Jordan Valley. Most of the time, the group was based in Bethlehem and then it relocated to Nazareth during the last few days. https://icahd.org/2025/04/24/where-is-humanity-does-anyone-still-see-us-spring-study-tour-to-palestine-israel-2/ Psychological first aid for complex reactions: Six-episode video series from Palestine Source: MHPSS Hub Date: 24 April A new six-part video series produced in Palestine explores how Psychological First Aid (PFA) techniques can support individuals facing complex trauma reactions amid ongoing violence. Each episode provides practical guidance informed by local expertise and experience. https://mhpsshub.org/news/pfa-for-complex-reactions-six-episode-video-series-from-palestine/ A knock at the door Source: CounterPunch Date: 28 April By Lama Khouri, a member of the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network. “The scene has become tragically familiar in occupied Palestine: the pounding fists on the door in the dead of night, the splintering wood, the shouts in broken Arabic. Soldiers storm in, rifles raised, children jolt awake, and someone is taken for nothing more than attending a protest or being related to someone who did, or throwing a stone, or posting something on social media in protest to the atrocities committed against their own people […].” https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/04/28/a-knock-at-the-door/ Impact of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza on children’s health: Evidence and recommendations for mitigation Source:Global Public Health (Taylor & Francis Online) Date:22 April This article analyses the severe effects of Gaza’s ongoing humanitarian crisis on children’s physical and mental health. The authors provide evidence-based recommendations for mitigating the damage, including immediate interventions and structural changes. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2025.2495326 Mental health is still a human right during times of war Source: International Journal of Social Psychiatry (SAGE Journals) Date: 12 April This article explores how mental health professionals can respond to the suffering in Gaza through solidarity, ethical practice, and advocacy. It situates the crisis within a wider settler-colonial framework and stresses the need for global mental health communities to act. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00207640251331856 The healthcare community has a responsibility to highlight the ongoing destruction in Gaza Source: The BMJ Date: 12 April This opinion piece calls on global healthcare professionals to speak out against the destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure under Israeli bombardment and blockade. The authors urge the medical community to uphold ethical responsibilities and resist political silencing. https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r741.full The Settlers Source: BBC Date: 27 April Louis Theroux spends time with the growing community of Israeli religious-nationalist settlers. Their settlements are illegal under international law, and they have been protected by the army, the police and the Israeli government. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002bm1y/louis-theroux-the-settlers A 12-minute summary of the programme from Novara Media https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqVjBDDiCCQ Support Dr Abu Safiya for Nobel Peace Prize Source: The Rights Forum Date: 26 April This petition calls for the nomination of Dr. Ghassan Abu Safiya, head of paediatrics at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his life-saving work under siege. It highlights global efforts to honour Palestinian medical professionals amid extreme conditions. https://rightsforum.org/petitie/support-dr-abu-safiya-nobel-peace-prize/#:~:text=In%20recognition%20of%20his%20extraordinary,for%20Gaza%20in%20the%20Netherlands EVENTS Our Events page is updated weekly with events related to Palestine and mental health. As of 30 April, there are 14 up to date events listed. https://ukpalmhn.com/events/ FEATURED EVENT Psychological perspectives on Palestine Source: The Palestine Interdisciplinary Research Network Date: Wednesday 7 May from 4.30pm – 6.00pm This online event will explore the psychological dimensions of the Palestinian experience, focusing on the mental health impacts of occupation, displacement, and resistance. Speakers include Palestinian and international mental health professionals who will share insights and strategies for solidarity. Register here: https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_RH4O8-V5RnKWFl9zTuuECA ACTIONS Actions are available on our dedicated Actions page. https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ 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 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 the webinar to find out more about the campaign. Full details of the new campaign: https://x.com/PSCupdates/status/1899780352979112277 Launch event on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyZ5DPLWdyQ |
الشبكة البريطانية الفلسطينية للصحة النفسية 