UK: mass solidarity protest outside St Thomas' Hospital for detained Palestinian medics

179 people in medical scrubs knelt down in a powerful vigil to highlight the plight of Palestinian healthcare workers detained by Israeli forces

Protesters called for the release of Dr Khaled Al Serr, a surgeon detained by Israeli forces at Khan Younis’ Nasser hospital, as well as a suspension of UK arms to Israel

Juliet Stevenson and Richard Ratcliffe addressed the protest

Photographs are available here

Amnesty International UK and Healthworkers 4 Palestine have staged a mass solidarity protest outside St Thomas’ Hospital in London to highlight the ongoing ordeal of 179 Palestinian medical workers being held without charge or trial by the Israeli authorities, the majority of whom are from Gaza. 

Among those who took part outside the central London hospital were Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, Dr Khaled Dawas, Amira Nimerawi, Dr Rebecca Inglis, Prof Nick Maynard, Dr Deborah Harrington and Dr James Smith. 

During the stunt, the actor Juliet Stevenson read out testimonies from recently-released Palestinian health workers, while human rights campaigner Richard Ratcliffe also addressed the protest, saying that Palestinian health workers were effectively being held as “hostages” by the Israeli authorities. 

The protest, held on International Day of the Disappeared, saw the 179 in distinctive medical scrubs kneeling down - a visual allusion to disturbing images which have emerged from Gaza of Palestinian detainees being detained by Israeli forces. Healthcare workers held aloft A4-sized letters spelling out “FREE GAZA MEDICS” as well as the names and professions of some of the detained Palestinians.

Other placards at the protest included “Free Dr Khaled Al Serr”. Dr Al Serr is a Palestinian surgeon from the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis detained by Israeli forces in March, along with several other medical personnel. He has reportedly been repeatedly beaten by Israeli soldiers and prison guards, and has not been charged or given any other information about why he is being held or his current legal status. 

Despite a large body of evidence that Israeli forces are committing war crimes in Gaza amid mounting signs of genocide, the UK has refused to halt arms transfers to Israel. Medics at the protest also called for an immediate suspension of UK arms transfers to Israel, holding aloft “STOP ARMING ISRAEL” placards.

Dr Rebecca Inglis, an intensive care doctor who has been visiting Gaza to teach medical students and junior doctors since 2017, and who helped organised today’s stunt, said: 

“The intentional targeting of doctors, nurses and paramedics is completely inexcusable. We as healthcare workers are appalled by the ongoing detention and torture of healthcare workers, many of whom were abducted from hospitals or ambulances while on duty. Israel is showing utter disregard for the specific protections that ought to be afforded to healthcare workers during times of conflict, in what appear to be repeated, egregious breaches of international humanitarian law.”

Tom Guha, Amnesty International UK’s Crisis Response Campaigner, said:  

“The plight of Dr Khaled Al Serr and scores of other Palestinian medical workers detained by Israel can’t and won’t be tolerated. These dedicated health professionals, whose work is needed now more than ever, have been ‘disappeared’ by Israel. The UK government must demand that Israel reveals their whereabouts and releases them immediately.” 

Torture in Israeli detention

There are numerous reports of Palestinians being tortured and otherwise abused while being held by the Israeli authorities in indefinite incommunicado detention after being apprehended in Gaza. Last month, Amnesty documented the cases of 27 Palestinian former detainees who were held for periods of up to four-and-a-half months without access to their lawyers or contact with their families. Those detained included doctors taken into custody at hospitals for refusing to abandon their patients.