A massive demonstration outside the UK Parliament demanded action to protect Gaza’s health workers and medical facilities amid intensifying Israeli attacks. Activists condemned the UK government for its continued support of Israel.
An emergency demonstration organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and its partners drew thousands of protesters to London on Monday. Held opposite the UK Parliament, the rally demanded urgent action from MPs to safeguard Gaza’s health workers and medical infrastructure amid escalating attacks by Israel.
Prominent speakers at the rally included MPs Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, alongside healthcare professionals and civil society representatives. Organizers emphasized the critical need for international intervention following reports of intensified assaults on Gaza’s healthcare system.
Recent incidents include the destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital, including its neonatal unit, in northern Gaza, and the ongoing siege of the Indonesian Hospital amid forced evacuations. Allegations have also surfaced of Palestinian healthcare workers being targeted, with scores killed and hundreds detained. Among the detainees is Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, who faces accusations of inhumane treatment and torture.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has identified Israel’s actions as a plausible case of genocide. Under international humanitarian law, hospitals and medical facilities are entitled to special protection. Attacks on such facilities may constitute war crimes, raising questions about the UK government’s continued arms supplies and political, diplomatic, and economic support to Israel.
Ben Jamal, director of the PSC, strongly condemned the British government’s stance. “Israel has been given impunity by the UK government to commit war crime after war crime over the last 15 months. We hoped this barbarity and the government’s support for it had a limit, a red line which could not be crossed, but we have not seen it yet,” he said.
“To attack and destroy hospitals, to target and kill medical staff and patients within them, has no possible justification and is completely unacceptable.”
“These are crimes for which Israel will have to answer in world courts, but the UK government must also face its own reckoning for shamefully aiding and abetting Israel’s carnage,” Jamal added.
The rally spotlighted the urgent need for international accountability, with activists calling for an immediate halt to arms supplies and support for Israel. Underlining the human toll of the crisis, the protest amplified the voices of Gaza’s health workers and patients, who remain at the forefront of a growing humanitarian catastrophe.