A primary request from the 100 celebrated mothers – including Dames Judi Dench, Joanna Lumley, Meera Syal and Imelda Staunton – is that six “life-saving” mobile maternity units are allowed in.
Co Tyrone lorry driver John Hurson led a fundraising campaign to have three of those units built – each one costing around £75k.
The group of influential women, which also includes the likes of Annie Lennox, Sienna Miller, Paloma Faith, Jessie Buckley and Aisling Bea, are appealing to Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts to use its platform to “demand government action on Gaza’s deepening maternity crisis”.
Annie Lennox is among a host of mothers urging action (Yui Mok/PA)
The letter has been released urgently in the wake of Israel’s decision to ban 37 internationally renowned charities including Oxfam, Save the Children and Medicine Sans Frontieres (MSF).
Humanitarian workers and experts have warned that the removal of these organisations will be “catastrophic” for Gaza’s pregnant women and their families.
From Oscar winners to Michelin starred chefs, beloved soap and pop-stars to leading writers and producers, these household names, all mothers, are responding to Amnesty’s warning that the killing continues, despite the ceasefire.
They also pointed to a report from Unicef in December 2025 which revealed that Gaza’s newborn mortality rates were up 75% as malnourished mothers give birth to “underweight or premature babies, who die in Gaza’s neonatal intensive care units, or survive, only to face malnutrition themselves or potential lifelong medical complications.”
Ms Roberts, whom the group have written to, is among the UK’s most powerful women and is in the unique position of having politicians regularly address her concerns.
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Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts interviewing then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street. Photo: Mumsnet/PA Wire
Signatories say Mumsnet, one of the UKs most influential platforms, with nine million users annually, has the potential to play a pivotal role in responding to this crisis.
The letter states: “Women in Gaza are giving birth in unimaginable conditions, with many alone, at high risk.
“Meanwhile, four brand-new state-of-the-art Mobile Maternity Clinics are waiting across the border in Egypt, all refused entry.
“Incomprehensibly when the infant mortality rate has risen 75% over the past two years, they too are being blocked.
“These clinics were created to bring safe, hygienic, dignified care and would save the lives of thousands of mothers and babies.
John Hurson beside two of the buses that have been converted into mobile maternity clinics
News Catch Up – Wednesday 7 January
“They were funded by the efforts of ordinary women across the UK and Ireland at coffee mornings and local groups.
“With the continued blocking of aid and a destroyed health system causing this malnutrition, the call for action is urgent.”
Mumsnet’s platform, they say, can help “demand tangible actions to get life-saving supplies into Gaza and create safe conditions for women to give birth”.
Famous faces behind the letter say it is also imperative to reverse the ban on MSF, Oxfam, MAP and 34 other organisations.
Co Tyrone lorry driver John Hurson has led a fundraising campaign for mobile maternity clinics
Mr Hurson from Palestine Aid Ireland said that due to the “near collapse” of the health system, and destruction of hospitals and clinics in Gaza, maternity care has been severely affected.
“Women are forced to give birth in horrendous conditions, and usually without medical treatment or post-natal care,” he added.
“With 130 births a day in Gaza taking place in these conditions, Palestine Aid identified a need for Mobile Maternity Clinics that would provide a safe and dignified space for women to give birth.
“These Clinics have been funded by the generosity of people throughout Ireland and Great Britain via a variety of fundraising events.”
When contacted Mumsnet said it has received the letter and is arranging for Ms Roberts to meet with English actress Juliet Stevenson and some of the other signatories to discuss.