PRESS RELEASE Friends of Al-Aqsa 28 May 2026

OVER 11,000 DEMAND ACTION: GP WHO EXPRESSED ENDORSEMENT FOR KILLING OF PALESTINIAN INFANTS CONTINUES TO PRACTICE MEDICINE

Friends of Al-Aqsa calls on the GMC and DHU Healthcare to act without further delay as public pressure mounts

Friends of Al-Aqsa (FOA), one of the UK's leading advocacy organisations for Palestinian rights, today announced that its petition demanding the investigation and suspension of Dr Eastland Staveley, a GP employed by DHU Healthcare, has surpassed 11,000 signatures, reflecting the depth of public alarm at the failure of medical institutions to act with urgency and principle.

Dr Staveley is reported to have responded to a social media question referencing Palestinian children in Gaza, "how many babies have you sniped?"  with the reply: "not enough."

Despite this, Dr Staveley reportedly continues to work as a GP providing NHS services through DHU Healthcare in the East Midlands, and as of the time of this release, remains on the GMC medical register with an active licence to practise.

This is not a matter of political opinion. An expression of endorsement for the killing of infants on ethnic grounds constitutes a fundamental breach of the values upon which the entire enterprise of medicine rests.

The question before the GMC and DHU Healthcare is not complex. It is whether medical institutions in the UK apply their own stated values consistently, regardless of who the victims are, and regardless of which communities are asking.

Over 11,000 people, members of the public, healthcare professionals, and civil society have concluded that they are not satisfied with the GMC, DHU and the Health Secretary.

Ismail Patel, Chair of Friends of Al-Aqsa, said: "The GMC exists to protect patients and uphold the integrity of the medical profession. That is not a discretionary function, it is a public duty. When a doctor publicly expresses what amounts to an endorsement of killing children on ethnic grounds, the GMC is duty-bound to open an immediate and transparent investigation. Over 11,000 members of the public have made clear that silence and delay are not acceptable responses. We call on the GMC to act without further hesitation, not as a favour to campaigners, but as a fulfilment of its obligation to every patient in this country who deserves to be treated as a person whose life matters equally."

Ismail Patel further stated: "DHU Healthcare describes itself as a values-driven, not-for-profit organisation providing care to communities across the East Midlands. We call on DHU to honour those values in practice. It is wholly inappropriate, indeed, it is a safeguarding failure, for someone who has publicly expressed what Dr Staveley is alleged to have expressed to continue serving within the National Health Service. DHU Healthcare must suspend Dr Staveley immediately and initiate full disciplinary proceedings consistent with its own published standards.

The Health Secretary must also intervene and call for an immediate investigation.”

Media Enquiries: Friends of Al-Aqsa

Email: info@foa.org.uk

Web: www.foa.org.uk

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