Like many people around the world, we have been distressed by the ongoing attacks on the Palestinian territories in Gaza and the increased hostilities in the West Bank. Not only does such action look like collective punishment on civilians, itself a war crime, but the impact on an already beleaguered population has led South Africa to lay a charge of genocide against the Israeli government with the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The death toll (at time of writing; 07/06/24) stands at 37, 263, and the world is witnessing in real time, evidence of torture, the killing of press and aid workers, mass graves, among other war crimes. The targeted destruction of key infrastructures (hospitals, emergency services, schools etc) has left communities without the means to support or defend itself. The impact of restrictions on the movement on aid and essential resources has brought famine and disease.

These events are the latest manifestation of one of the world’s longest running conflicts. The current humanitarian crisis and mental health impacts, not only for Palestinians and Israelis, but also those watching around the world, are unfathomable. We are gravely concerned about the levels of psychological trauma that will be prevalent in those who survive this crisis, whether Palestinian or Israeli. We are worried about trauma or moral injury that witnesses around the world might be experiencing. 

We are aware that one of the biggest factors impacting upon the experience of trauma and distress, is the loss of power to change one’s circumstances, and the sense of hopelessness and inescapability due to a lack of support or resources. Power does not only relate to physical safety, but also economic safety, ideological safety, legal safety and cultural safety. It is extremely difficult to imagine the psychological distress caused by the current conflict. 
For many of us watching from afar, this situation is exacerbated by the lack of clear and transparent reporting on the situation, both in the media and by politicians. There is a clear attempt to obscure the complex history of this crisis which goes far beyond the events of October 7th and can be traced at least as far as 1917 when Britain, as part of its colonial project, promised Palestinian land to home Jewish refugees. This complex history, which requires Britain to acknowledge the long-ranging consequences of its colonial past, is quietly erased from mainstream analysis. Instead, public discourse is provoked into narrow and polarised arguments that ignore the disparities of power between the citizens of Gaza and Israel. One clear example of this is the attempt by American politicians to apply sanctions against the United Nations and the ICJ. Statements by British politicians have often seemed similarly skewed in favour of Israel. The UK government has not only refrained from criticising Israel’s actions, but has also argued that such actions, taken by a nation state against a civilian population, are legitimate. Britain is further profiting by selling arms to Israel. While the Foreign Secretary was attempting to dismiss concerns that what is happening is tantamount to genocide, Britain has taken military action against Houthis in Yemen for disrupting shipping in their locality, out of solidarity with the Palestinians. The clear message sent by such actions (that our right to trade supersedes the right of others to exist) is one with chilling implications, but it also demonstrates that some lives are treated as being worth more than others.

The current material reality, since the closure and destruction of the Rafah crossing, is that Palestinians are trapped without a means of escape. This complete lack of safety and threat to life, combined with no means of escape and no expectation of help, is a toxic combination for humans’ capacity to cope and is immensely damaging. As Psychologists, we are overwhelmed with concern for the Palestinian people, not only their current survival, but the lasting physical, psychological, and emotional harm this genocide will cause for generations to come. Whilst naming the immense vulnerability of people in Gaza, we also recognise the importance of the strength and power that people hold within themselves, resisting in any way against what has happened to them. We are touched and heartbroken by videos of parents trying to make ‘games’ for their children to make them less scared when bombs are being dropped, and of the countless stories of neighbourly and community care and generosity. These pockets of light offer hope in the courage of humans to resist hatred in order to care for one another. 

We are also inspired and grateful for the acts of resistance and solidarity that are constantly enacted around the work in resistance to the atrocities being imposed on Gaza. The actions of young students, many of whom have been moved to occupy protest camps on university campuses around the world, are a humbling reminder of how important and effective it is when we people collectivise and take a stand against oppression.
As psychologists, we believe in a moral and ethical duty to treat all human beings with equal compassion and dignity, and an additional responsibility for mental health workers to do no harm. This includes naming and acting against harm when and where we see it, because inaction itself is a form of harm. We believe that mental health workers in Britain have a responsibility to acknowledge the immeasurably destructive impact of British colonialism (history and present) and its direct contribution to the instability of the Middle East region.
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We call for an end to violence and a humane, equitable and just process to end the destruction of Gaza, and for a recognition of the racist, capitalist and imperialist impulses driving it. We call on the UK government and public bodies, including the NHS, to speak plainly and honestly about the harms being done by Britain. We call out the hypocrisy of the British Government in condemning Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but supporting Netanyahu’s occupation and siege of Palestine. Placing value on white lives and land over brown or black lives; fitting with Britain’s very recent historical role in racist colonialism and slavery. We call for the implementation of a family reunification scheme such as that provided for people fleeing Ukraine, for people who wish to flee Gaza and live with relatives or volunteer hosts in the UK. We call for people requiring specialist medical treatment to be offered that treatment in NHS services, as is routinely provided in other international conflicts. We want to reach our fellow Psychologist colleagues, to encourage them to speak up and out in the face of abuse of power.