Bassem Youssef to headline major Gaza fundraiser in London

The National

5 hours ago

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef and Jordanian-Palestinian singer Zeyne will headline a fundraising event for Gaza in London in July.
The evening of comedy, spoken word, theatre and music aims to raise $1 million in donations to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and the Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's Fund. The goal is to support life-saving healthcare delivery and long-term Palestinian-led rebuilding work, according to its organisers.
Youssef is a former heart surgeon who has become a widely heard voice on the Gaza war, after his interview with British TV presenter Piers Morgan went viral in the early weeks of the conflict.
Zeyne is a rising star who combines R&B with traditional Arabic music forms including dabke. She and Youssef will be joined by British singer-songwriter and actress Paloma Faith, who has been outspoken in her support of the Palestinian cause.
Voices of Solidarity, at the Troxy in east London on July 19, is the second event co-organised by Health Workers 4 Palestine (HW4P). The organisation formed in 2023 to mobilise NHS workers who opposed the war and wanted to support colleagues in Gaza.
Its first event, co-organised with British actress Juliet Stevenson at the Roundhouse in north London last year, sold out and raised £200,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians.
More than half of the 2,000 tickets for the July event have already sold out.
British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla – known for his role as Dodi Fayed in The Crown – will play his debut single A Simple Song, which is dedicated to the children of Gaza. Abdalla has been a regular speaker at marches for Palestine since the war began after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
He hopes the event will commemorate the more than 1,400 Palestinian health workers who have been killed in Israeli air strikes since 2023. 'Healing begins with those who care for others, many of whom have paid the ultimate price for a vision of a better world,' he said.
'This night will celebrate the Palestine solidarity movement through joy, culture and community, bringing together powerful voices from the arts and front-line medics who embody resistance and hope.'
Stevenson, who is also performing at the forthcoming fundraiser, praised the 'selfless professionalism' of Palestinian medics 'in the face of unspeakable brutality and violence has shown the world what bravery and dedication is as a lived reality.'
'Many have been killed or injured, some kidnapped and tortured, all have stared this genocide in the face,' she added.
The funds raised will go to HW4P's Solidarity Fund, which will then disburse the donations to the two medical charities.
HW4P was founded by the London paediatric neurologist Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan.
'Like so many others, I found myself doom-scrolling as the devastation in Gaza unfolded, feeling helpless – until I realised that sustaining a movement also requires spaces for joy, connection, and remembrance,' he said.
The organisation held a candle-lit vigil in November 2023 with other medics in London demanding an end to the war. Since then, the movement had grown to 'global networks of resisting censorship, mobilising aid, and demanding justice'.
'This event is the culmination of that journey – a moment to remember, to resist, and to recommit,' he said.