UK mental health practitioners criticize Israeli prison practices in letter
7 reported
A letter published in The Guardian on July 19, 2026, written by Gwyn Daniel of the UK and International Palestine Mental Health Networks, responds to a July 13 piece by Nesrine Malik about conditions in Israeli prisons. The letter states that illegal detentions, deaths, torture, and sexual abuse in Israeli prisons are not aberrations but are deeply embedded in state practices and intentions. The authors, identifying as mental health practitioners working with Palestinian co-professionals, say they have long recorded how degradation and humiliation constitute attacks on minds and relationships as well as bodies. The letter also criticizes western governments and most mainstream media for acting as if only “extremist fringes” should be criticized, rather than the state itself. A second letter from Phil Gaunt of Dumbarton mentions that there have been “innumerable atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank, even after a ceasefire was declared,” and calls for the UK and Europe to take more decisive action regarding trade with Israel and ending the occupation of Palestine.
What’s reported
The letter responds to a July 13 Guardian piece by Nesrine Malik titled “In Israel’s prisons, torture and death have become a norm that it barely tries to hide.”
The letter states that illegal detentions, deaths, torture, and sexual abuse in Israeli prisons are deeply embedded in state practices and intentions.
The authors are mental health practitioners working alongside Palestinian co-professionals.
The letter says practices of degradation and humiliation are designed to undermine family, social, and community life.
The letter criticizes western governments and mainstream media for focusing criticism on “extremist fringes” rather than the state.
Phil Gaunt’s letter says there have been “innumerable atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank, even after a ceasefire was declared.”
Gaunt calls for the UK and Europe to act more decisively on trade with Israel and to take steps to end the occupation of Palestine.
Key figures
Gwyn Daniel, UK and International Palestine Mental Health Networks
Nesrine Malik, Guardian columnist
Phil Gaunt, Dumbarton
Sources: The Guardian
