To: Professor Steve Turner President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Dear Professor Turner,

We, the undersigned paediatricians, nurses, therapists, allied health professionals, and healthcare colleagues, write to you out of urgent concern for the catastrophic and rapidly worsening child health crisis in Gaza.

As paediatric professionals, we are acutely aware that thousands of children are at imminent risk of death due to starvation, as confirmed by WHO and UN reports. This is occurring alongside the systemic destruction of healthcare infrastructure, targeting of medical personnel, and the collapse of routine care, all in violation of international humanitarian law, medical neutrality, and children’s fundamental right to healthcare.

These violations are not abstract. Most recently, an Israeli airstrike reportedly killed nine children of our colleague Dr. Alaa al-Najjar, a paediatrician working in the emergency department at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. We extend our deepest condolences and professional solidarity to Dr. al-Najjar and urge the College to do the same, publicly recognising this profound  loss.

We acknowledge the College’s past expressions of concern, as well as its commitment to global child health through initiatives such as ETAT+ training and the Global Links programme. We also note that at the 2025 Annual General Meeting, 81% of voting members supported a motion addressing the situation in Gaza, a clear and urgent mandate for further action.

We further note the President’s update of 23 May 2025, which recognises the crisis but falls short of the decisive leadership expected by the membership. However, the statement offers no public condemnation of the blockade-induced starvation or the destruction of healthcare infrastructure, and it omits any reference to the demands outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 2728.

Given the scale and severity of the crisis, including the deliberate obstruction of food, water, and healthcare, we believe the College has both the authority and the responsibility to take further steps.

We respectfully call on the RCPCH to:

• Publicly and unequivocally condemn the use of starvation and the blockade of humanitarian aid and violations of children's rights and international law and call for an immediate ceasefire.
• Publicly support and align with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728, adopted on 25 March 2024, which demands an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, unimpeded humanitarian access, and protection of civilians.
• Mobilise the UK paediatric community for collective advocacy through open letters, campaigns, and active professional engagement.
• Work in collaboration with national and international paediatric and child health organisations to advocate for urgent humanitarian access and protection of medical infrastructure.
• Support calls for legal accountability for the obstruction of healthcare and targeting of civilians in breach of international humanitarian law.

Host a dedicated national conference or formal session addressing the health and survival of children in Gaza bringing together clinicians, humanitarian actors, legal experts, and global health leaders.

This is a moment of profound consequence for child health globally. As paediatric professionals, we cannot look away. We trust that the RCPCH will lead with the moral clarity and commitment to child protection that defines our profession.

We are ready to support and participate in any initiative that furthers these aims.

Sincerely,

 [The Undersigned]

 UK Paediatric Community

 May 2025