Alex Thomson

3 weeks ago | channel4.com | Jamie Roberton |Alex Thomson

Words by Jamie Roberton. The mother of a woman who died after her benefits were incorrectly stopped has told Channel 4 News that she fears there will be more deaths like her daughter’s because of imminent benefits cuts. Jodey Whiting, of Stockton-on-Tees, was housebound with chronic physical pain and mental health problems before she took her own life in 2017, just two weeks after her Employment Support Allowance (ESA) was denied because she was deemed fit to work.

3 weeks ago | channel4.com | Alex Thomson

The deadly incidents near the aid distribution sites have produced yet more eyewitness accounts of Israeli quadcopter drones opening fire on Palestinians with small calibre weapons. While the IDF has never acknowledged operating so-called sniper drones – the use of unmanned aerial vehicles has, for many Gazans, become a defining feature of the conflict.

3 weeks ago | channel4.com | Alex Thomson

For UK armed forces, the story of the last sixty years has been one of “doing more with less”. As spending on health and social security has gone up, defence spending – as a share of national income – has gone down. A so-called “peace dividend” spent on hospitals and welfare. We spoke to Ben Zaranko from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. They’ve just published their preview of the Chancellor’s spending review, due in just over a week.

3 weeks ago | channel4.com | Alex Thomson

We spoke to Graeme Groom, a British surgeon currently working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza. He worked alongside Dr Hamdi al-Najjar, who today succumbed to his injuries from last week’s air strike that killed nine of his ten children. We asked him what his understanding of the situation is, following the reported Israeli attacks on civilians near an aid distribution centre.

3 weeks ago | channel4.com | Alex Thomson

We spoke to Graeme Groom, a British surgeon currently working at Nasser Hospital in Gaza. He worked alongside Dr Hamdi al-Najjar, who today succumbed to his injuries from last week’s air strike that killed nine of his ten children. We asked him what his understanding of the situation is, following the reported Israeli attacks on civilians near an aid distribution centre. Graeme Groom: What we’ve heard is very clear, that there was an invitation to attend the food aid location.