Peace campaigners will be on the Kirk Green, in front of St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall, today, Saturday 22 August, between 1 and 2pm. Their campaign for a permanent ceasefire and for the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza has been ongoing since the end of October 2023. They are often joined by visitors to the islands. All are welcome who share in their aims for Peace and Justice.

Images by Mike Robertson.

As atrocities continue to be committed in Gaza, the West Bank and across the region the work of Humanitarian Workers who have been killed (and often targeted) was highlighted on World Humanitarian Day, Wednesday 18 August.

 Commissioner-General of UNRWA , Christian Saunders said:

“Every day, humanitarian workers make a real difference in the lives of Palestine Refugees. They teach children, care for patients, and deliver life-saving assistance to families facing unimaginable circumstances.

“Yet attacks harming humanitarians have become common. Since the conflict in Gaza began, we have lost 393 UNRWA colleagues.

“They were teachers educating children, medical staff healing the sick and injured, and aid workers supporting families seeking refuge. Now, they represent the highest number of colleagues killed in any conflict or disaster in the history of the United Nations.”

On 1 April 2024 seven humanitarian workers were killed by an Israeli strike on their convoy for the World Central Kitchen.

A joint statement has been released by the foreign ministries of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom on Israel closing the investigation into the military strikes on the World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on 1 April 2024.

The statement is as follows:

On 1 April 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired on a World Central Kitchen convoy as it was delivering food to civilians in Gaza. Drone strikes killed seven humanitarian workers, including from the United Kingdom, Australia and a dual Canada-US national. 

At the time, the IDF described this incident as a serious mistake and failure. In the more than two years since, we have been pressing for Israel to swiftly and thoroughly consider the case and hold those responsible to account. The announcement by the IDF on 19 August 2026 that it would not pursue criminal investigations into this strike, without further explanation, is shameful. Announcing this decision on World Humanitarian Day, while the world honoured the courage and sacrifice of humanitarians, was particularly egregious. This decision is both too little, and too late. The victims of this incident and their families deserve justice and accountability, and we will continue to seek answers on their behalf.

The World Central Kitchen attack is one of countless incidents in Gaza where there has been no accountability. In Gaza, humanitarian workers continue to work tirelessly to support civilians in desperate need, risking their lives whilst working in the most perilous conditions. Yet despite the fragile ceasefire, Gaza remains the deadliest place to deliver aid, with 186 humanitarian workers killed in 2025. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, and must do more to ensure that humanitarian staff can carry out their work safely. Lessons must be learnt from this tragedy.

World Central Kitchen described the closing down of the investigation by Israel as ” inconsistent with the full truth and deeply offensive.”

“At the time of the lethal attacks, the IDF knew that our team in Gaza was unarmed and posing a threat to nobody. It had full visual clarity on our clearly marked humanitarian vehicles during the extended, multiple airstrikes. It knew our team’s movements, identities and activities in advance.
The military investigation conflates different timelines and events, muddies the story and shifts the blame for the IDF’s illegal conduct.

“We continue to demand truth and justice for our team and their families. We continue to demand an independent commission to investigate the airstrikes because the IDF cannot credibly investigate its own conduct.

“And we continue to grieve the loss of our friends.”

People who come to the vigils in Orkney for Gaza often express their feelings about why they do so in interviews filmed by Mike Robertson for The Orkney News. Here is the latest:

Fiona Grahame

---