UK: Protesters rally against Israeli attacks on Gaza health services, calls for protection of workers
FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in London, Britain, October 28, 2023. REUTERS/Susannah Ireland/File photo
An emergency protest was held in London on Monday, denouncing Israeli attacks on Gaza’s health care system and urging the British government to protect Palestinian health workers.
Organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) alongside groups such as Friends of Al-Aqsa and the Stop the War Coalition, the demonstration gathered near Parliament.
Protesters chanted slogans, including, “Keir Starmer, you can’t hide, we charge with you genocide,” directly addressing the prime minister. They demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the suspension of all arms shipments to Israel.
The protest followed the British government’s September 2 announcement of suspending 30 arms export licenses to Israel.
The licenses involve components for military aircraft, drones, and targeting systems, excluding F-35 fighter jet parts. The suspension cited concerns about violations of international humanitarian law.
The protest coincided with reports of Israeli airstrikes destroying Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, including its neonatal unit. Palestinian health workers, such as the hospital’s director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, have also been targeted, with many killed or imprisoned.
Protester Mark Etkind, a Holocaust survivor’s son, expressed outrage: “What seems to be happening in Gaza at the moment is the process of a genocide.” He likened the situation to conditions in the Lodz ghetto during World War II, highlighting the lack of food, clean water, and medical care.
Israel’s ongoing actions in Gaza, which have resulted in nearly 46,000 deaths since October 2023, are the subject of international legal scrutiny, including genocide charges at the International Court of Justice.
