UK health care workers hold vigil to demand cease-fire in Gaza

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Health care workers in London held a vigil outside of the Prime Minister's Office to demand an urgent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip where the death toll has climbed to more than 11,000.

Demonstrators held the names of colleagues killed in Gaza during the vigil organized by Gaza Medic Voices (GMV) -- a social media platform that publishes first-hand accounts from health care workers in Gaza.

Pediatric neurologist Omar Abdel-Mannan read an open letter written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on behalf of GMV.

"We call on you, the British government, to demand an immediate cease-fire," said the letter, citing the death toll, two-thirds of which are women and children.

Touching on Israeli attacks on health care facilities, including hospitals, humanitarian shelters and ambulances, the letter said 192 health care workers have been killed, 16 while on duty.

Meanwhile, 70% of primary health care centers and 39% of hospitals are now out of service due to damage, insecurity and lack of fuel.

"Through its persistent attacks on Palestinian health care, Israel is flouting international law and endangering the health of 2.2 million people in Gaza," it said.

The group expressed solidarity with colleagues in Gaza, who are "overwhelmed, exhausted and scared, working in the most abject conditions” and said the British government must help bring these horrors to an end.

The letter concluded by asking the government to demand, "an immediate cease-fire" in Gaza, uphold the rule of international law by condemning the killing of health care staff and attacks on health care and civilian objects, and demand unfettered humanitarian aid into Gaza.

- You will never take our dreams

Some health care professionals made brief speeches, sharing their experiences and thoughts.

Izzeldin Abuelaish, a professor of Global Health at Dalla Lana School of Public Health in Toronto said: "Palestinians' lives matter as everyone else on earth."

During an Israeli attack in 2009, Abuelaish lost three daughters and a niece.

He said that Palestinians have freedom as everyone in the world.

"Our dignity, freedom is essential, crucial our dignity to be fully human. And the world is not free as long as Palestinians are not. The world is not equal, as long as we are not,” he said.

Abuelaish stressed that Palestinians will never give up their rights and one day they will celebrate.

He said he is waiting for the moment to go to his home in the Jabalia Camp in Gaza, and visit his daughters and niece and say to them: "We will never forget you. You are in our hearts, our minds, in our souls."

"I lost faith in humanity at that time. But I will never lose faith in our people and our lives in our world and the good people who are supporting our cause," he said. "You can destroy but you will never take our dreams and our goals from our minds, from our hearts, from our children.”

- 'Scene of massacre'

Pediatric intensive care doctor in Toronto and member of the Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Tanya Haj-Hassan, read messages from health care staff in Gaza, which she said were personal messages GMV received in the last month.

We need you to reach out to your colleagues to reach our scene of massacre to all the world. We trust you, please be our voice," an early message by a senior pharmacist a month ago, said Haj-Hassan

Another message by a consultant surgeon at the Al-Shifa Hospital said everything is running out and the hospital is nearly "a trauma hospital" with no other specialties, not even close to enough.

"It is the worst war and we are heading towards a very dark end," read another message received from a consultant surgeon in Gaza one month ago.

A message from a physician at the Kuwaiti Hospital in southern Gaza described the scenes as "intolerable." It said: "I wish no one have to live these atrocities. Our hearts are shattered."

Later, after performing a minute of silence for health care workers in Gaza who were killed, the group chanted slogans, calling for a "Cease-fire now."

Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the main opposition Labour Party, was among attendees, who later wrote on X: "Survivors know they may die, but have stayed behind to care for their patients. They haven’t given up on the Palestinian people. Neither should we. Ceasefire now."