UKPALMHN Solidarity Space Monday 23 June 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 contact ukpalmhn@gmail.com if you would like a link to this meeting. National Demonstration for Palestine Saturday 21 June – assemble at 12 noon in Russell Square – End the Genocide – Stop Arming Israel – Stop Starving Gaza The protest aims to mobilise public pressure on the UK government to take concrete action. https://palestinecampaign.org/events/national-demonstration-21-june-25/ The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network banner will be at the march. All are welcome to join us. We will meet at 12:00 noon at: Bloomsbury Square Gardens, London WC1A 2PJ This is the same location where we have assembled for previous marches from Russell Square. Hold the date Cafe Palestine – Listening to Gaza Saturday 12 July at 11:00 (UK time) More details to follow New activist web pages UKPALMHN is pleased to announce that we are now hosting web pages for four allied mental health groups on our website. There are two allied mental health groups already on our website and two new ones. The two, new allied mental health groups that now have web pages on our site are: FAMILY THERAPISTS FOR PALESTINE This is a safe space for those supporting Palestine and resisting the dehumanisation, apartheid, colonisation and genocide to which Palestinians are subjected. Family Therapists for Palestine welcomes new members. Please contact Gwyn Daniel (danielgwyn@gmail.com). https://ukpalmhn.com/family-therapists-for-palestine/ Summary of June 2025 update from Family Therapists for Palestine: Family Therapists for Palestine: amplifying voices and shaping change Family Therapists for Palestine are bringing critical conversations to major conferences this year, with members presenting innovative workshops at both the AFT in Brighton and EFTA in Lyon. From exploring the political dimensions of therapy to advocating for refugee youth and amplifying unheard Palestinian voices, their sessions promise thought-provoking and impactful dialogue. Meanwhile, the group is actively working to expand the ethical commitments of family therapy associations, advocating for a stronger stance on equity, social justice, and human rights. Learn more about their inspiring efforts and upcoming events. The full text of the most recent update and further information about the group can be found on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/family-therapists-for-palestine/ PSYCHIATRISTS FOR PALESTINE The group was set up in Apr 2025 and currently has a mailing list of about 60 members. Our aims are to:Promote mental health in Palestine within the frameworks of medical ethics, social justice and Human RightsProvide a platform for solidarity and mutual support and learning with psychiatrists and mental health practitioners in PalestineThe work of the group is structured around 4 working groups:Build relationships and networksPartner for education and trainingSupport clinicians and clinical workOrganise for advocacy and influenceThis is overseen by a steering committee, and we meet regularly to review and develop our work.. We invite UK-based psychiatrists to join our group. To contact us, please email: psychiatrists4palestine@gmail.com Find more information on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/psychiatrists-4-palestine/ The existing allied mental health groups on our site are: CHILD PSYCHOTHERAPISTS FOR PALESTINE Summary of June 2025 update from Child Psychotherapists for Palestine: Child psychotherapists speak out for Gaza’s children Child psychotherapists across the UK are standing in solidarity with colleagues and families in Gaza and the West Bank. They are offering clinical support, sharing expertise, and urging professional bodies to condemn the deliberate targeting of children. A moving new slide deck for Infant Mental Health Awareness Week has been produced, alongside active contributions to public awareness and parliamentary advocacy. The full text of the most recent update and further information about the group can be found on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/family-therapists-for-palestine/ Other resources from June 2025 Powerful new slide deck for Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2025: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/infant-mental-health-awareness-week-2025-slides/ Child Psychotherapists for Palestine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palestineukchildpsychotherapy/ Adam Goren, child psychotherapist, speaking on a recent Radio Voice of Islam podcast about the effects on children of the war on Gaza: https://soundcloud.com/voislam/weekend-world-podcast-08-06-2025-israel-war-on-gaza-a-war-on-children Email: to contact Child Psychotherapists for Palestine, please write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com More information and recent update about the work of the network: https://ukpalmhn.com/child-psychotherapists-for-palestine/ PSYCHOANALYTIC VOICES FOR PALESTINE The group was formed by a group of psychoanalytic clinicians, current or former registrants of the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC), who signed a Statement in January 2024 entitled ‘A Call for Psychoanalytic Professionals to address the human catastrophe in Gaza’. Summary of June 2025 update from :Psychoanalytic Voices for Palestine: Psychoanalytic Voices for Palestine: fostering dialogue and action Psychoanalytic Voices for Palestine (PVP) continues to provide mutual support and collective advocacy, helping members speak out within their professional associations and beyond. Their recent conference on Palestine, Racism, and the Ethical Challenges Facing Psychoanalytic Practitioners drew over 300 participants and raised funds for Medical Aid for Palestine. PVP is now seeking to build dialogue with other UK mental health professionals, exploring how the sector can develop a united, principled response to genocide and human rights violations. The full text of the most recent update and plans for future action can be found on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/pvp/further-action-and-future-events/ Further information about the group can be found on this page: https://ukpalmhn.com/pvp/ If you are a current or former member of the BPC and would like to join the group, please email us at pav4pal@gmail.com Other resources from June 2025 The dialogue with other mental health professionals could take inspiration from the work/approach of Doctors against Genocide (DAG) in emphasising our duty as mental health workers to act to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity, in promoting a health perspective on the definition and impact of genocide, and on developing mechanisms by which we might be enabled to speak out. Here are links to DAG resources that could provide useful templates. Medical definition of Genocide: https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/medical-genocide-def Report submitted to the UN on ”Healthcare workers as human rights defenders” https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/genocide-un-health-report “End Genocide Prescription” https://doctorsagainstgenocide.org/end-genocide-prescription UKPALMHN aims to amplify Palestinian voices and to promote mental health related networking and actions in supporting justice for Palestinians. If you would like to promote your work in this newsletter than please write to: ukpalmhn@gmail.com ACTIONS Our Featured Action is available below and also on our dedicated Actions page. In the past 4 weeks we have added 9 new, relevant actions to our Action page. https://ukpalmhn.com/gaza-crisis/ FEATURED ACTION

Further information: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/fast-for-gaza/

Unexplained diseases spread among Gaza’s children amid genocide
Source: The New Arab
Date: 11 June 2025
Gaza’s children are suffering from panic attacks, hair whitening, vitiligo, paralysis, and other conditions likely tied to severe trauma under genocide.
https://www.newarab.com/features/unexplained-diseases-spread-among-gazas-children-amid-genocide

Genocide in Gaza: moral and ethical failures of medical institutions
Source: The Lancet (Correspondence)
Date: 13 June
The correspondence critically examines the collapse of Gaza’s medical institutions and reproductive-health infrastructure under siege.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01173-0/fulltext

Israel’s war on reproduction in Gaza
Source: MERIP
Date: 11 June
The analysis highlights repeated strikes on hospitals, fertility clinics, maternity wards, and other reproductive-health facilities in Gaza since October 2023.
https://merip.org/2025/06/israels-war-on-reproduction-in-gaza/

Israel guilty of ‘extermination’ in attacks on schools, mosques: UN
Source: Al Jazeera
Date: 10 June 2025
An independent UN commission finds that Israel’s strikes on schools and mosques harboring civilians may amount to the crime against humanity of “extermination.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/10/israel-guilty-of-extermination-in-attacks-on-schools-mosques-un

77 Years of Ongoing Nakba (2 hour recording of webinar)
Source: Palestine-Global and Chile-Palestine Mental Health Networks
Date: 30 May
The event marked 77 years of the ongoing Nakba—a catastrophe that began long before 1948 and continues relentlessly today. Our people in Gaza endure starvation and bombardment, a genocide livestreamed to a world silent in complicity. Meanwhile, our loved ones in the West Bank and East Jerusalem face daily oppression and unlawful annexation, crimes met consistently by international silence.Yet, despite this profound injustice, we refuse passivity. United, we uplift our collective struggle and remain steadfast in demanding justice, dignity, and freedom for every Palestinian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U-g28AA2tA

EVENTS

Our Events page is updated weekly with events related to Palestine and mental health. As of 18 June, there are 14 up to date events listed.
https://ukpalmhn.com/events/

FEATURED EVENT

The Dramatic Events Unfolding in the Middle East
Wednesday 25 June at 6pm (UK time)
Organised by the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions. In this webinar, Mouin Rabbani, a leading Palestinian researcher, analyst and writer, and Abdel Takriti, whose research focuses on the history of revolutions and state-building in the modern Middle East, engage with Jeff Halper, the Director of ICAHD, in a wide-ranging discussion on where the region is headed.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ix9qgLHZTaaOQh0LlAyvbQ

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).

”Tell the Co-op to stop selling Israeli goods
Last month, the Co-op’s AGM voted overwhelmingly for a motion to “cease all trading with Israel” and to take “all Israeli products off the shelves”. The Co-op’s leadership must implement this motion by ending the sale of Israeli goods in Co-op stores. Write to the Co-op’s leadership to call for the motion to be implemented without delay.
https://palestinecampaign.eaction.online/coop