Israel killed hundreds of Palestinians during the ‘ceasefire’. Where is the UK arms embargo?

The following article is a comment piece from Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT)

The genocidal attack that Israel has unleashed on the people of Gaza is designed to inflict maximum suffering and terror on Palestinians. Israel has killed more than 400 Palestinians in dozens of airstrikes across Gaza. More than 600 people are reported injured. Israel has also issued evacuation orders for parts of Gaza, suggesting that an assault involving troops on the ground may be imminent. 

The families searching for their loved ones, the dead, including children, lying in stained white sheets – these are the people whose death and suffering is supported politically and militarily by our government

This latest assault follows the pattern of actions and intent that has been pursued by the Israeli government since 7 October 2023 – acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinian people. A temporary partial ‘ceasefire’ was not an end to the genocide. 

Israel: violating the ceasefire – and international law

Israel has been violating the ceasefire agreement for weeks, increasing attacks and blocking all aid for over two weeks including food and fuel. Since the ceasefire was announced Israel has killed more than 500 Palestinians in Gaza, and hundreds of others have been injured, as a result of Israel’s continued military assaults and airstrikes.

In October 2023 Western leaders jumped at the chance to offer Israel impunity for the gravest of crimes, crimes that Israel promised to commit, and Palestinians continue to live in the hell of that impunity. The precedent that was set and excused by political leaders in the UK including the current Prime Minister – cutting off food, water and electricity, blocking humanitarian aid, collective punishment, all of which are illegal under international law – has now become one of the defining features of Israel’s genocide. 

Western leaders failed to hold up the basic human rights of Palestinian people. Let us not forget that even calling for a ceasefire was initially beyond the current Labour leadership, even though Israel’s stated goal was to eliminate the Palestinian people. In November 2024 David Lammy wrote “But a ceasefire now would just embolden Hamas”. 

The UK: complicit

Our government continues to support Israel politically and militarily through arms exports, including for F-35 jets which are used to drop 2,000 lbs bombs on Palestinians.

In total, Campaign Against Arms Trade estimates that the UK has approved and/or delivered at least £100m in military equipment to Israel since 7 October 2023. Labour approved almost £11 million single arms export licences to Israel in its first three months in office, according to newly released arms export licensing data. The data also shows that Labour approved an open licence for “components for combat aircraft”. This license appears completely incompatible with its supposed commitment not to supply military equipment that could be used in Gaza.

We know that the Government is well aware of the risk of violations of international law because it has admitted it. The Government announced in September 2024 that it found Israel is not committed to complying with international humanitarian law (IHL), and there was a clear risk that UK arms exports might be used to commit serious violations of IHL. It introduced a partial suspension of around 30 arms export licenses to Israel.

However the UK’s largest, most financially significant and deadly export to Israel, 15% of every F-35 jet that is dropping bombs on Gaza, was exempt despite the government confirming this is a clear risk of serious IHL violations.

F-35s in Israel

This was an unprecedented decision. No other UK government has ever concluded that this risk exists and continued to export arms.

These jets have been operating in Gaza armed with munitions, including 2,000 lb bombs – explosives with a lethal radius up to 365 m, an area the equivalent of 58 football pitches. Trump authorized the release of thousands of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, bombs which will travel to Israel via the Mediterranean for years to come, including through overseas British territory such as military bases on Cyprus and supported by Gibraltar.

The UK Ministers who have been pushing so forcefully to allow for the continued transfer of F-35 parts and components made in the UK to Israel, today will they confirm if the jets used to bomb Gaza last night were F-35s? Will they confirm if UK-made parts and components were used to drop these bombs and unleash this devastation? 

This F-35 jet is produced primarily by Lockheed Martin in the US, with BAE Systems the prime contractor in the UK. Arms companies in the UK have been trying to whitewash their image and promote the alleged ‘social value contribution’ they make. But we won’t hear from BAE Systems today, the company won’t be raising any concerns about the crimes these jets are being used to commit. The silence of UK Ministers and arms company executives is deafening. 

A full, two-way arms embargo now

We demand a full two-way arms embargo with Israel; an end to trade and military cooperation with Israel, and an end to the UK government’s complicity in and military support for genocide, occupation and apartheid. 

Katie Fallon, Advocacy Manager at CAAT said:

The genocidal attack that Israel has unleashed on the people of Gaza is designed to inflict maximum suffering and terror on Palestinians. Israel has been violating the ceasefire agreement for weeks, increasing attacks and blocking all aid for over two weeks including food and fuel. Our government continues to support Israel politically and militarily through arms exports, including for F-35 jets which are used to drop 2,000 lbs bombs on Palestinians.

We demand a full two way arms embargo with Israel. We demand an end to the UK government’s complicity in and military support for genocide, occupation and apartheid.

Featured image via the Canary