“[The settlers] use every tactic they can think of. They have pepper-sprayed us, beat us, detained us, taken my children’s IDs, beaten women, and stolen our sheep. They threatened to kill me and my family recently and told me I have a couple of days to leave to Mecca or Jordan as these lands have been promised to them by God.”
Palestinians in the West Bank are now experiencing multiple settler attacks per dayDropsite News, 27 March
https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/palestinians-west-bank-israeli-settlers-attacks-iran-war

Palestinian child likely starved to death in Israeli prison Source: Jasper Nathaniel on X/substack Date: 24 March 2026 17-year-old Walid Ahmad died in Israeli military detention on 22 March 2025. According to recently released court papers, the judge ruled that he likely starved to death in Israeli military detention, but closed the case anyway. Israel never charged Walid with a crime and still holds his body. The allegations are corroborated in part by AP reporting and the subsequently unsealed Haaretz-linked court ruling. https://x.com/infinite_jaz/status/2036506611091390833 The shocking circumstances of the Walid’s death were described by another child prisoner called Mohammed Ibrahim and published in December 2025 by the same journalist. https://www.infinitejaz.com/p/mohammed-ibrahims-stolen-year

When they come for the homes Source: Mondoweiss Date: 4 April The article describes the lived experience of home demolitions in Palestine, emphasising their psychological impact as families endure not only material loss but the destruction of stability, memory, and identity. It argues that demolitions function as a broader mechanism of control, generating chronic anxiety and insecurity that shape both individual and collective mental health. https://mondoweiss.net/2026/04/when-they-come-for-the-homes/

Psychological burdens during genocide: A psychocartographic qualitative study of civilian experiences in Gaza, December 2024–February 2025 Source: Social Science & Medicine, Volume 399, June 2026, 119227 Date: 24 March – Examines the intertwined psychological, material, and spatial burdens of displaced Palestinians during ongoing genocide in Gaza. – Introduces a psychocartographic, rhizomatic framework for understanding trauma as spatially and relationally embedded. – Identifies three core themes: psychological toll of war, survival challenges, and pervasive unsafety. – Highlights the ethical responsibility of mental health research and advocates for collective, community-based interventions. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953626003035

Thrown out onto the streets – Evictions escalate in Silwan Source: Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) Date: 27 March Fifteen Palestinian families were displaced from their homes in the Baten al-Hawa area of Silwan, East Jerusalem, following court rulings transferring the properties to a settler organisation, with most evictions carried out under heavy police presence. The article situates these evictions within broader Israeli policies and legal frameworks that favour Jewish property claims while denying equivalent rights to Palestinians, contributing to demographic changes in East Jerusalem. It highlights the wider scale of displacement in Silwan and beyond, with hundreds of Palestinians facing imminent eviction or demolition as part of ongoing settlement expansion. https://icahd.org/2026/03/27/thrown-out-onto-the-streets-evictions-escalate-in-silwan/

Why Western mental health practice fails in Palestine Source: TRT World (20 minute interview with Dr Jabr) Date: 31 January  (only recently found this link) Dr Samah Jabr argues that Western mental health practice fails in Palestine because it is built on assumptions—trauma as a past event, the existence of safety, and the possibility of a stable future—that do not hold under ongoing occupation and violence. Standard therapeutic models and diagnoses such as PTSD are therefore inadequate, as trauma is continuous, basic needs are unmet, and clinical questions are often secondary to immediate survival concerns.She further explains, drawing on Frantz Fanon, that international interventions cannot function without safety and must be rethought in a context of structural violence, where communities develop their own collective coping mechanisms that professionals must learn from rather than replace. Western frameworks also depoliticise suffering and focus on individual adaptation, whereas in Palestine mental health is inseparable from political conditions, collective experience, and the need to sustain agency and resist imposed helplessness. There is a succinct explanation of the difference between “resilience” and “sumud” at 7.00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYmECI8G2Us Dr Jabr’s website:  https://drsamahjabr.com/

UK government’s inaction fuelling Israel’s takeover of Palestinian land in the West Bank Source: Medical Aid for Palestinians (Instagram) Date: 18 March This video highlights that UK government inaction is contributing to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and calls for concrete measures rather than statements alone. Medical Aid for Palestinians urges the UK to ban trade with settlements, suspend arms transfers to Israel, and take legal, economic and diplomatic action to ensure accountability. https://www.instagram.com/medicalaidpal/reel/DWCPnKlh9AR/

Global Sumud Flotilla 2026 – Collective Care Volunteers Date: April 2026 […][Global Sumud Flotilla 2026] are building a team of anti-oppressive, decolonial and context-rooted psychotherapists, counsellors, somatic, and trauma-practising practitioners to provide a range of collective care and mental health support structures, that will be available to 3,000 sea and land volunteers. The care structures vary depending on the stage of the mission, i.e. pre-mission preparation, in-person support at European ports, care during the sea voyage to Palestine, and post-mission support. Dates and operational details may change depending on circumstances[…] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddlhbmHh_HgVfRmc9JQ9nYq9QrhWG-4KYdKjqBWwKTQwl8Zg/viewform

ICAHD statement condemning Israel’s “death penalty for terrorists” law Source: The Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) Date: 1 April ICAHD  condemns with outrage, if not surprise, the Israeli parliament’s passing of the Death Penalty for Terrorists Bill on March 30. Drafted by Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, himself a convicted terrorist, it was supported by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, his entire Likud party and 70% of the Israeli Jewish public. This racist law mandates the death penalty – specifically by hanging – for a “terrorist” defined in terms that could only apply, in our context, to a Palestinian. […] Full statement: https://icahd.org/2026/04/01/icahd-statement-condemning-israels-death-penalty-for-terrorists-law/

Institute of Group Analysis (IGA) Statement in Solidarity with Palestine Source: Group Analysts for Palestine (GA4PAL) Date: 2 April A motion to publish GA4PAL’s Statement in Solidarity with Palestine on the IGA website was passed at its AGM on 7 March, despite resistance and ongoing appeals, marking a significant opening for engagement with the political realities affecting mental health. The letter highlights the importance of collective action within the profession, acknowledges the support of anti-Zionist Jewish colleagues, and frames the development as a source of encouragement for those challenging silence and advocating for ethical accountability. Full announcement: https://ukpalmhn.com/group-analysts-for-palestine/

I am not a number A visual tribute to the 72,000+ Palestinians killed in the Israeli genocide in Gaza Each light represents a life. Hover to remember them. https://bkhmsi.github.io/i-am-not-a-number/

FEATURED EVENTS

From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for revolutionary futures Source: The Relational School Date: Saturday 11 April from 4pm – 5:30pm This online event centres on a discussion of From the Clinic to the Streets: Psychoanalysis for Revolutionary Futures by Lara Sheehi, examining how psychoanalytic thinking can be extended beyond clinical settings into political and collective struggles. The session features responses from clinicians and theorists including Foluke Taylor, Avgi Saketopoulou and Robert Downes, focusing on the implications of the book for therapeutic practice and social transformation. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/therelationalschool/2003398

Bearing witness in the West Bank: Mental health and life under occupation Source: St John’s Church, Waterloo Date: Monday 13 April at 7pm Location: St John’s Church, Waterloo, 73 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8TY (this is an in-person event)Two volunteers share reflections from recent time in the West Bank, combining contextual overview with personal testimony about life under occupation. The session explores the impact of occupation on mental health—particularly for children and young people—alongside insights from local professionals and community initiatives, and includes perspectives on everyday life and faith in Palestine. The event aims to bear witness to lived realities, amplify local voices, and open space for discussion on how participants can offer support, with donations directed to grassroots and humanitarian organisations. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bearing-witness-in-the-west-bank-mental-health-and-life-under-occupation-tickets-1984229614190

Women, prison and sumud Source: Palestine Mental Health Networks International Date: Tuesday 14 April at 5pm (UK)This webinar focuses on the experiences of Palestinian women in prison, examining the psychological and social impacts of detention and incarceration. It highlights themes of resilience (sumud), collective struggle, and the role of mental health in understanding and supporting those affected. https://www.pmhn-international.org/calendar/women-prison-sumud

Cafe Palestine 39: Introduction to a new music therapy-informed programme for music teachers in Gaza Saturday 18 April from 4–6pm (UK) This Café Palestine session will introduce a new online support programme for music teachers in Gaza, developed in response to the urgent need for practical ways to support children experiencing severe trauma. The programme recognises that many musicians are already working closely with traumatised children and offers a music therapy-informed framework to strengthen this work through accessible, ethically grounded tools. The initiative has been developed by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, a leading Palestinian cultural institution, in collaboration with international partners.Dr Lukas Pairon, Chair of the Centre for Social Action and Music-Making at the University of Ghent, will present the programme alongside music therapist Hala Hamdan, who is facilitating the weekly online sessions. The approach is deliberately modest and pragmatic, focusing on shared reflection and practical techniques for observation and stabilisation rather than formal clinical training or trauma treatment. https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82206250113?pwd=nrOre2eYzCgkcG6QOEmLxMnAT7LWNb.1

Besiege Your Siege with Madness: Collective liberation and the psychoanalysis of world-making Source: USA-Palestine Mental Health Network, BADIL, Eyewitness Palestine Date: Sunday 19 April from 4.30 – 6 pm (UK) A special presentation and dialogue with Dr Reem Abu Hweij, a clinical psychologist and academic based in Jerusalem. Amid genocide and protracted colonial trauma, what psychic processes enable a people not only to survive but to imagine anew? Drawing from her essay “Besiege Your Siege with Madness” (forthcoming in Psychoanalysis, Culture & Society), Dr. Reem Abu Hweij deftly examines the Palestinian collective psyche as a site of world-making and spiritual revolt. She introduces the concept of liberation madness – a psycho-spiritual rupture through which the oppressed transcend the coloniser’s “Dominant Reason” and reclaim meaning, love, and collective purpose. https://mailchi.mp/41bfc486574d/besiege-your-siege-with-madness-mar-6-52392?e=f02f8a3048

On Thursday 14 May, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is presenting a major cultural commemoration of the Nakba at the Troxy in London, with Health Workers for Palestine (HW4P) and Marsm, to mark over 78 years of Palestinian resistance to erasure and to fundraise for Palestinian health workers in Gaza. https://dice.fm/event/dkmxdo-voices-of-solidarity-ii-14th-may-troxy-london-tickets

Mental Health Study Tour Autumn 2026 Source: UK-Palestine Mental Health Network Dates: Monday 26 October to Wednesday 4 November. This autumn we are offering a 10-day study tour for practitioners from the fields of mental health and social work who are keen to explore the complex interface between politics and psychological well-being in the particular circumstances of Palestine/Israel.The tour provides excellent access to clinicians, academics, community groups and political analysts with 25 encounters, plus additional cultural opportunities. It will be facilitated by a small UK company established in 1999 that has provided alternative tours to the area. Hotels will be in Bethlehem and Nazareth with additional visits to Jerusalem, Hebron, Ramallah and Jaffa/Tel Aviv […] Full details here: https://ukpalmhn.com/resources/autumn-tour-2026/ For an application form please write including your name, address, contact information, and professional qualifications to:ukpalmhn@gmail.com

FEATURED ACTIONS

VOTE PALESTINE ON 7th MAY! The Candidate and Councillors’ Pledge for Palestine In the run-up to the local elections on 7 May, candidates and councillors who are standing for re-election are being asked to sign the Pledge for Palestine. Full information, including a list of current councillors who have signed the Pledge is available from: Vote Palestine website: https://www.votepalestine.co.uk/ PSC website: https://palestinecampaign.org/campaigns/councillor-pledge-for-palestine/ A list of candidates who have signed the Pledge will be made available on the same pages after the nomination deadline for candidates on Thursday 9 April. What you can do: 1. Check which councillors have signed the pledge and check which candidates have signed the pledge when this information is available. 2. Contact prospective candidates who you might vote for and ask them if they will sign the Pledge (if they have not already done so) 3. Raise the issue of the Pledge in hustings and other local meetings 4. Make your own pledge to vote only for candidates who have signed the Pledge!

Global Sumud Flotilla 2026 Source: Global Sumud Flotilla Date: 19 March This spring, the Global Sumud Flotilla returns with its largest mission yet: more than 100 boats in parallel with land mobilisations, representatives from over 100 countries, all united to challenge the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza and the complicity that enables it.⁠ A brief video featuring some prominent supporters introducing the 2026 Flotilla https://www.instagram.com/reels/DWCKKZMlKgV/ You can donate or apply to join the Flotilla here: https://linktr.ee/globalsumudflotilla

Support Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah: Write to the General Medical Council today Source: Palestine Solidarity Campaign Date: April 2026 Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah is a British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon who has for decades been treating patients in Palestine, Lebanon and beyond, including children who have been horribly injured in Israel’s attacks. He is being targeted by anti-Palestinian groups, and now Britain’s medical regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), is trying to stop him practising. This is an outrageous attempt to try and silence Palestinians like Dr. Abu-Sittah, and to prevent them from advocating for their own people’s safety and for the wider principles of justice. It will not work. Already thousands of doctors have called on GMC leadership to resign over this spurious attack, but we need to increase the pressure.https://palestinecampaign.eaction.org.uk/complaint-gmcRecent Guardian article providing background to the case: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/02/uk-surgeon-cleared-antisemitism-criticises-gmc-challenge-ruling