UK-based health, aid, and social care workers urged to sign Gaza petition

UK-based health, aid, and social care workers are being invited to sign a petition calling for the protection of health and aid workers in Gaza.

Started by social workers Dr Robin Sen, Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh, and Dr Yohai Hakak, Senior Lecturer at Brunel University, the petition has been endorsed by the British and Association of Social Workers (BASW) and the Social Workers Union (SWU).

“As health, aid, and social care professionals, we are bound by a shared ethical duty: to care for and support those in need, irrespective of their background or circumstances. Since October 2023, we have witnessed the unfolding of a devastating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza,” the petition states.

The petition states that health and aid workers have been directly targeted by Israeli armed forces, while Medical Aid for Palestinians estimates that over 1,400 health workers have been killed in Gaza since 2023.

The aim is for UK-based health and social care workers to apply pressure to the Government to impose a full embargo on arms sales and military assistance to Israel and demand an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

Speaking to Social Work Today, Robin and Yohai explain why they felt a duty to start the petition, and how their social work values inform their actions.

“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. Since October 2023, the population has been subjected to relentless military assault by one of the most heavily armed states in the world. Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, including tens of thousands of children, women, and older adults. More than 100,000 have been injured, and nearly the entire population - around two million people - has been forcibly displaced.

“Oxfam has reported that the death rate in Gaza surpasses that of any recent conflict, including those in Iraq, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen. Since March 2025, when Israel again blocked humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, UNICEF has warned that at least 71,000 children and 17,000 mothers face starvation - conditions that have only worsened since.
Among those killed are hundreds of health and aid workers, including individuals from the UK who travelled to Gaza to help alleviate the crisis.

“We wanted to create a platform for UK-based health, social care, and aid workers to honour those colleagues who have lost their lives; stand in solidarity with those still risking their lives to provide care and relief; and express support for the people of Gaza in their time of desperate need.”

Yohai added that he himself is an Israeli citizen who lived in Israel until 2007.

“I worked there as a journalist and have spent much of my academic career researching Israeli society. I have witnessed first-hand the realities of apartheid and the systematic repression Palestinians face across all parts of Palestine. That experience has left me with a profound moral responsibility to speak out - and to act.”

The pair said their social work values were central to starting the petition which, at the time of writing, has received almost 1,000 signatures.

“At the heart of social work are commitments to human rights, social justice, and the protection of life. These values are not abstract principles - they demand action, especially in the face of mass suffering and injustice. What we are witnessing in Gaza are atrocities on an unimaginable scale: the systematic killing of civilians, the mass displacement of a population, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid. These are not distant or purely political events - they are human catastrophes that strike at the core of our professional ethics.

“As social workers, we are taught to speak up against oppression and to act in solidarity with the most marginalised. If we remain silent while our own government helps enable these crimes - whether through arms sales, diplomatic protection, or failure to act - then we are complicit. Silence, in this context, is not neutral. By initiating and supporting this petition, we are putting our values into practice. We are standing up for life, for dignity, and for the basic right of people in Gaza to exist free from terror and deprivation. To do otherwise would be a betrayal of everything the social work profession claims to stand for.

Dr Sen and Dr Hakak said that support for the plight of Gazans is growing, but that political action has been ‘shamefully slow’.

“While we can't say with certainty that the tide has fully turned, there are signs of growing awareness.

“Opinion polls suggest that more than a third of the UK public believe Israel has gone too far, and mass protests have taken place across the country for months. Even prominent figures within Israel, like former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, have recently stated that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza.

“However, in terms of political action, progress has been shamefully slow. Many of us expected a turning point when South Africa brought its genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice in December 2023. Instead, we were stunned by the refusal of our own government - and other Western states that claim to uphold a ‘rules-based international order’ - to act meaningfully.”

The pair also encouraged UK-based health and care workers to write to their constituency MPs to ‘courteously but firmly’ urge them to support an arms embargo, a permanent ceasefire, and unrestricted humanitarian aid.

“If you don’t receive a reply, follow up. Persistence matters,” they said.

Professionals, such as social workers, could also engage through professional organisations and trade unions, they said: “Raise the issue within your workplace, union, or professional body. Encourage them to issue public statements, establish links with Palestinian organisations, and offer solidarity in action.”

Other suggestions for taking meaningful action included donating to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), seeking out independent and diverse media sources; joining protests and demonstrations; and supporting educational access for Palestinians.

“Every action - no matter how small - helps build collective pressure for change. Inaction is not a neutral stance.”