New data reveals British firms continued to ship military items to Israel months after London claimed it had suspended offensive arms exports.
A new investigation reveals that British companies have continued to export thousands of military items to Israel, including munitions and armored vehicle parts, despite the UK government’s public suspension of key arms export licenses in September 2024, The Guardian reported Wednesday morning.
The new report raises concerns regarding whether Britain has continued selling Israel F-35 components, despite official assurances that these would only be sold to the program’s lead manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, in the United States.
Former MP John McDonnell, who was recently removed from Parliament, called for a full investigation and said Foreign Secretary David Lammy should resign if it is proven he misled Parliament.
“The government has shrouded its arms supplies to Israel in secrecy. They must come clean and halt all exports to ensure that British-made weapons are not used in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans to annex the Gaza Strip,” McDonnell alleged.
In September, less than two days after six Israeli hostages were found murdered by their Hamas captors in a tunnel underneath Rafah, Lammy announced that the UK would be suspending some of its arms sales to Israel.
The decision affected around 30 out of 200 arms sales licenses, and included a special exemption for components related to the F-35 fighter jet program, due to their role in NATO security.
The report was compiled by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Progressive International, and Workers for a Free Palestine, and is based on import data from the Israeli Tax Authority, The Guardian revealed. According to the report, 14 shipments were sent from the UK to Israel between October and March, 13 by air and one by sea to Haifa; the maritime shipment reportedly included 160,000 items.
Among the items exported were over 8,600 units categorized under “bombs, grenades, torpedoes, mines, missiles and similar munitions of war,” as well as 146 items listed under customs codes related to “tanks and armored fighting vehicles.”
In a statement to The Guardian, a spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office clarified: “The government has suspended relevant licenses for the IDF that could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza. Of the licenses that remain, the vast majority are not for military use by Israel but are intended for civilian applications or re-export.”
The spokesperson reaffirmed that the only military exception is the F-35 program, citing its strategic value to NATO. “Any suggestion that the UK is licensing other weapons for use by Israel in the Gaza conflict is misleading.”
“The UK strongly opposes the expansion of Israel’s operations in Gaza,” the statement continued. “We continue to call for the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, the release of hostages, and a return to negotiations toward a permanent peace.”
