Letter of condolences to family and friends of Dr. Maisara Azmi Al Rayyes

To the surviving family and friends of Dr. Maisara Azmi Al Rayyes,

It is with heavy hearts that we write to express our deepest condolences for the loss of your husband, brother, son, and friend. We were devastated to hear that Maisara and eight members of his family were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza and their bodies are still under the rubble since the 5 November, along with the many thousands who have lost their lives in the Israeli assault over the last several weeks. We are still coming to terms with such news as you must be.

We were privileged to have Maisara as a member of the King’s community. He was a dedicated student, a devoted physician committed to improving the lives of women and children; he was a proud Palestinian who dedicated his life to making a positive change in Palestine. We do not have the words to express our anger and sorrow at the fact that the Israeli occupation forces killed Maisara and his family in their genocidal attempt to kill Palestine’s future.

As educators and support staff, his example pushes us to be faithful to our vocation, seek the truth, and fight the unjust conditions that allowed this to happen. 

We are deeply ashamed at the British government’s unconditional support for the State of Israel and its continued failure to call for a ceasefire, ensuring that the lives of thousands more like Maisara remain at risk. We will continue to urge the government to end its complicity in Israel’s apartheid, settler colonialism, and genocidal violence in Gaza. We will continue to seek accountability for Maisara’s killing.

We demand that King’s College London honour Maisara’s life in words and deeds. We call on King’s management to say that Maisara was a Palestinian, to name who is responsible for his killing and to condemn Israel’s bombing and ground invasion of Gaza. We also demand that the College make strategic changes to its investment policy and that it rescinds partnerships with Israeli universities. The idea that the College where Maisara studied is complicit in his killing is unfathomable. We will demand that not a penny of King’s money be spent on facilitating the murder of innocent people like Maisara.

Not only have we lost a brother, a fellow human being, but the world, and Palestine, has lost his dedication to the medical profession and to the future of Palestine. We will fight with all our strength to stop this genocide and make the world a better place than when Maisara left it. 

We will remember him. We will remember Maisara.

We will keep saying his name.

We will keep talking about Palestine.

We will keep fighting for Palestine.

With love and prayers,

the King’s Community