FORMER SNP MP Philippa Whitford has been appointed as a trustee of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), the charity has announced.
Dr Whitford served as the MP for Central Ayrshire between 2005 and 2024, standing down at the last General Election.
The breast cancer surgeon, who previously worked in a Palestinian hospital, has now been announced as one of five new members of MAP’s board of trustees.
Whitford said she was “honoured” by the appointment following the announcement.
She joins Professor Nick Maynard, surgeon at Oxford University Hospital, Muna Abbas, CEO of the Asfari Foundation, Dina Hashem, director of Institutional Funding at Lumos, and Muna Wehbe, a strategic advisor on the board.
Steve Cutts, MAP’s interim CEO, said: “We are thrilled to welcome such an accomplished group of trustees to MAP’s board at this pivotal moment.
“Their collective expertise and dedication to humanitarian work will be instrumental in strengthening our response to the unprecedented crisis facing Palestinians today.
“As MAP continues to expand its lifesaving work, their leadership and insight will be invaluable in ensuring we deliver the greatest possible impact.”
“I look forward to supporting their vital work in Gaza, West Bank, Jerusalem, Lebanon & Jordan.”
Whitford has been vocal in her support for Palestine following her experiences in the country.
The surgeon worked with MAP from 2016 onwards to set up a Scottish-Palestinian breast cancer project.
In March, she paid tribute to her friend who was killed during an Israeli airstrike which broke the ceasefire deal.
The former MP worked in Al Ahli hospital in Gaza during the first intifada.
She previously urged people to back The National’s emergency appeal for MAP earlier this year.
It comes as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 100 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
This included at least 27 sheltering at a school in the north, according to Palestinian medical authorities.
The bodies of 14 children and five women were recovered from the school in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City, and the death toll could still rise because some of the 70 wounded had critical injuries, Health Ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahid said.
More than 30 other Gaza residents were killed in strikes on homes in a nearby neighbourhood of Shijaiyah, he added, citing records at Ahli Hospital.
The Israeli military on Thursday ordered more residents in parts of northern Gaza to move to shelters in the western side of Gaza City, warning that it planned to “work with extreme force in your area”.
Israel has issued sweeping evacuation orders for parts of northern Gaza ahead of expected ground operations, which the UN says have forcibly displaced around 280,000 Palestinians since the ceasefire broke down last month.
