Conference Overview (scroll down for full conference report)
A hybrid conference on 8 November 2025 brought together mental-health professionals to witness, discuss and respond to the genocide in Gaza, centring solidarity with Palestinian colleagues.

Conference Opening and Programme
The opening framed the day through poetry and introductory reflections, outlining a programme focused on Palestinian experience in the morning and professional reflection in the afternoon.

Morning Session: Voices from Palestine
Speakers introduced key themes of ongoing colonisation, trauma, fragmentation and the need to centre Palestinian narratives within mental-health discourse.

Yoa’d Ghanadry-Hakim’s Presentation
Her talk examined how continuous colonisation shapes Palestinian trauma and resilience, calling for decolonised clinical frameworks that foreground lived experience.

Conversation with Dr Abu-Jamei and Dr Mukhaimar
This session described the collapse of mental-health services in Gaza under genocide, the dominance of basic survival needs, and the necessity of context-aware support rather than conventional interventions.

Morning Plenary
The plenary considered genocide, erasure, institutional complicity and the ethical responsibility of professionals to reject neutrality and align with justice.

Afternoon Session: Activism, Silencing and Professional Ethics
This session examined how UK mental-health professionals confront institutional silencing, reflecting on ethical obligations and the psychological impact of witnessing ongoing atrocities.

Lived Experience and Professional Understanding
Speakers highlighted the personal and institutional costs of speaking out on Palestine, exploring mechanisms of silencing, racialisation and moral injury within professional settings.

Plenary Discussion: Shared Experiences and Causes
Participants discussed widespread silencing, racism, Islamophobia and structural power dynamics that suppress Palestinian narratives across institutions.

Psychoanalytic, Psychotherapy and Clinical Dilemmas
This section addressed tensions between traditional therapeutic neutrality and the political realities of genocide, questioning how mental-health practice can respond ethically.

Anti-Semitism Discussion
Debate on antisemitism highlighted concerns about recentring discourse away from Palestinian experience and examined how definitions and accusations are used within institutional contexts.

Recommended Supports and Resources
The report summarised legal, organisational and peer-support avenues for practitioners navigating institutional pressure, along with suggested readings.

Next Steps
The conference proposed actions including sustained advocacy against genocide, institutional reform, strengthened networks and the creation of democratic spaces for Palestinian-centred dialogue.

Final Thoughts and Closing
Closing remarks emphasised continued activism, interprofessional solidarity and the importance of preserving spaces where Palestinian voices remain central.

Full Report: