Medevac for Gaza’s children
Following briefings to MPs and a good deal of work the UK Government agreed to allow 50 children to be medically evacuated from Gaza. This was a concerted effort by Project Pure Hope, UK-Med and Children Are Not Numbers Trying to get the Israeli authorities to permit the children to leave for treatment in the UK. Kim Johnson, MP, is a key figure in pushing for this. NHS Trusts and clinicians had already said they were ready to treat the children. Not all children have been accompanied by both parents (if they have them), so some family members remain in Gaza.
The children were brought to Parliament on Monday 8 December 2025 to speak about their lives in Gaza. They were due to meet the Prime Minister that same day. he has reportedly said he will do all he can to reunite the families of injured children from Gaza.

Prime Minister says he will do all he can to reunite families of injured children from Gaza
Source: ITVX
Date: 8 December
https://www.itv.com/news/central/2025-12-08/pm-says-he-will-try-to-reunite-family-of-boy-waiting-for-life-saving-surgery

The Prime Minister – after 20 months of negotiation – has approved the Project Pure Hope proposal for a government scheme to medically evacuate a cohort or 30 children from Gaza to the UK
Source: Project Pure Hope
Date: 26 July
A Co-Founder of Project Pure Hope (an initiative by private citizens) providing a powerful description of the work of the project and the most recent developments in an extended Sky News interview (approximately 5 minutes):
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMkfcRgoJpe/
Project Pure Hope website: https://www.purehope.co.uk/

There has so far been no response to this letter to the Association of Child Psychotherapists that was sent on 16 July 2025

Open Letter to the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP) – June 2025
The letter highlights the unprecedented scale of violations against children in Gaza and the West Bank, citing a June 2025 UN report that records abuses surpassing those in conflict zones such as Myanmar, Somalia, and Sudan. It describes profound and systematic trauma deliberately inflicted on Palestinian children and families, with lasting intergenerational bio-psychosocial impacts similar to those documented in previous genocides. Child psychotherapists underscore their ethical and legal duty to report child maltreatment, urging their professional association to act accordingly by alerting government authorities.
The letter specifically calls upon the ACP to publicly condemn human rights violations against Palestinian children, advocate for an immediate ceasefire, and demand an end to the blockade and collective punishment of Gaza, ensuring urgent humanitarian aid including psychological support. Additionally, it requests that the ACP produce practical guidance for professionals and families on supporting children traumatised by war, emphasising consultation with Palestinian clinicians. Finally, the letter affirms solidarity with ACP members from all backgrounds affected by the conflict, and explicitly acknowledges the courage and commitment of healthcare workers supporting children amidst ongoing dangers.

You can read and sign the open letter here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGMqL_80ZRt4aZDt3kDhQ7z6QA-mUWWhC5JZXWFpXpY6D6MQ/viewform

Child Psychotherapists for Palestine Update June 2025
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.

Full update from Child Psychotherapists 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
To email Child Psychotherapists for Palestine, please write to ukpalmhn@gmail.com

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The UK Palestine Child Mental Health group will be meeting for the first time in person in London on Saturday 26th April, from 10am to 4pm.

The day will be a chance to discuss our group, to think about supporting Palestinian mental health groups in West Bank and Gaza, hear from speakers, share thoughts and ideas, plan actions and future events and generally be together. 

We will be hearing from people who work directly with mental health groups in Gaza who will be sharing their experience. We will also offer spaces for discussion and sharing of ideas. 

Please register for a place with me, leilabargawi@hotmail.com if you are planning on coming so we are aware of numbers. We look forward to seeing you then.

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A letter from Child Psychotherapists for Palestine to the BBC

ikrammaddy: Meet Zach, a 14-year-old with wisdom that challenges today’s leadership. If only they could match his clarity. He’s a shining example for what’s to come. The younger generation gives me so much hope
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFUYW2YPy2J

Palestine in children’s books
Thu 23 Jan 2025 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Cafe Palestina, NW5 1AD
This IBBY UK event has been set up to support IBBY colleagues and children in Palestine and to try to satisfy a demand for information about children’s books that look at Palestinian life, history and culture.
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/ibbyuk/1497440

War Child shares first study of psychological impact of war on vulnerable children in Gaza.
A first of its kind report – written by Gaza based Community Training Centre for Crisis Management, who are supported by War Child Alliance –
lays bare the shocking psychological impact of the ongoing war on children in Gaza.
https://www.warchild.org.uk/news/war-child-shares-first-study-psychological-impact-war-vulnerable-children-gaza

Death feels imminent for 96% of children in Gaza, study finds
Needs assessment by NGO reveals the huge psychological impact of the war with Israel on young people.
https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/11/death-feels-imminent-for-96-of-children-in-gaza-study-finds

Summary of Israel’s violations of the UNCRC. September 2024
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11Gh8hGRQrlLJVIWcmym9FZW5xEqyTWUIIZqD1bozX9I/edit?tab=t.0

Healing Through the Skies: Coping With Grief Through a Therapeutic Group Activity for Children in Palestine
In the Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies (published 1 December 2024) by Samah Jabr, Zaynab Hinnawi, Elizabeth Berger. The authors propose an innovative group-based therapeutic activity for traumatized children in Palestine, a one-day program creating and flying kites. The authors discuss the importance of flying within the religious and cultural background of Palestine as well as the prevalence of kite imagery in children’s books, songs, and artisanship.
Link to Abstract: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aps.1898

Israeli forces use Palestinian children as human shields in Jabalia refugee camp
Ramallah, November 26, 2024—Israeli armed forces have forced Palestinian children to act as human shields during the siege on Jabalia refugee camp in north Gaza, placing them directly in harm’s way amid live fire and tank shelling […]
https://www.dci-palestine.org/israeli_forces_use_palestinian_children_as_human_shields_in_jabalia_refugee_camp

Gaza Children Endure the Horrors of Genocidal War
On 20 November, as the world celebrated World Children’s Day, Gaza’s children endure their 411th consecutive day of unimaginable horrors of a genocidal war unprecedented in history. […]

OCHA Humanitarian Situation Update #239 | Gaza Strip
https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-239-gaza-strip

November 20th, marks World Children’s Day, an annual occasion to emphasize the rights of children worldwide. This day comes at a time when Palestinian childhood is living through tragic circumstances, with the ongoing Israeli occupation systematically destroying childhood in the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinian children suffer from continuous crimes committed by the occupation, facing killing, arrest, and abuse, under a repressive policy that targets Palestinians in various locations and across different groups, especially children. […]
https://www.addameer.org/news/5429

No Child Should Be A Target: International campaign launched to protect the children of Lebanon and Palestine
The Palestine-Global Mental Health Network is now launching an international campaign to demand world governments hold Israel accountable for its war crimes against Palestinian and Lebanese children.
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/11/no-child-should-be-a-target-international-campaign-launched-to-protect-the-children-of-lebanon-and-palestine/
Link to the Palestine-Global Mental Health Network action:
https://ujoin.co/campaigns/3351/actions/public

Parents 4 Palestine
https://www.parentsforpalestine.org/

Scholasticide
Scholasticide is the deliberate and systemic destruction of education and its infrastructure: nurseries, schools, colleges and universities. It also involves the detention or killing of teachers, students and staff. It is part of the systematic dismantling of Palestinian culture, heritage, history and society.
By April 2024, more than 5,479 students, 261 teachers and 95 university professors had been killed in Gaza. More than 7,819 students and 756 teachers had been injured.
Students who have won international scholarships are being prevented from travelling abroad to study. 13 public libraries, had been damaged or destroyed and at that time, at least 625,000 students had no access to education.
The obliteration of Palestinian education continues to this day.
Statistics: GENEVA (18 April 2024) Human Rights Council
https://www.ukfiet.org/events/responding-to-scholasticide-in-gaza-the-role-of-the-uk-international-education-and-training-community/

Children’s Books about Palestine

A poem written by ‘RMC’
She started writing it in 2006 and recently added more to it. (she doesn’t want her full name attached).