Is the UK selling weapons to Israel?

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and said that if the Israeli government does not change the way it fights in striptease, the UK can “do more” in the coming weeks.

He expressed anger that “the international community has not been able to end the war” and said he had been killed by Israeli forces in recent days by Palestinians in the aid center.

Since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza after the October 7 attack, it has focused extensively on the issue of aid provided by Britain. Most of the weapons used by Western countries on the IDF are built or sold by Western countries.

However, information on the extent of British military support for Israel is often unclear or unclear, and some MPs have called for a public investigation into the level of aid.

The UK is not one of Israel’s major arms suppliers. The United States is by far the largest seller – helping Israel develop one of the world’s most advanced armies – followed by Germany and Italy.

Since 2015, the UK has approved arms export licenses to Israel worth more than £500 million ($676.4 million) – peaking in 2018 The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) Pressure Group.

However, much of the UK’s support for Israel has focused on the parts that the UK has made for the F-35 jet. Israel has widely used state-of-the-art multi-function fighter jets to strike Gaza.

The UK offers 13-15% of the components used in jets, including ejector seats, rear fuselage, active interceptor system, targeted lasers and weapon release cables.

After Labor came to power last year, it suspended 30 times out of 350 weapons export permits, affecting equipment such as fighter jets, helicopters and drones.

Any British company that wants to sell foreign weapons must apply for a license, and the government said at the time there was a “clear risk” that the device could be used for serious violations of international law.

But it is crucial that the export ban does not include parts of the F-35. The government said that since Israel was sent to manufacturing centers abroad, it could not prevent Israel from obtaining these components, which was part of a global plan – rather than being sent directly to Israel.

Professor Anna Stavrianakis, a British weapon export expert, described the decision to allow such exemptions as a “huge loophole”.

She told the BBC that “the British-made parts of the F-35 are mainly for the United States, including them in Israel’s jets.

The UK has also jointly developed Hermes drone, which has been widely used in Gaza. Although the British version of the aircraft, known as the Watchman 450, is not yet armed, Israel-made Hermes drones can be equipped with spike missiles that were reportedly used to kill last year’s attack by seven World Central Kitchen Aid workers.

It is hard to say that the UK is still exporting to Israel with active permission. Foreign Secretary David Lammy said last year that the ban was not a “blanket ban or arms embargo” and said it was crucial that Israel could defend against attacks.

According to the Ministry of Commerce and Trade 161 existing licenses involve military products.

A report from the UK Parliament said the remaining permits could include “items such as training aircraft and naval equipment, as well as dual-use items for civilian purposes in telecommunications and data equipment”.

The extent to which Britain shared intelligence with Israel has not been known since the October 7 attack. The government has established a long-term “defense partnership” with Israel, which defense officials say includes “education, joint training and capacity development.”

Since December 2023 Reportedly using Shadow R1 spy plane Located in the RAF base in Akrotiri, Cyprus nearby.

In an interview on Monday, Rami insisted that the Royal Air Force flights in Gaza did not result in any military intelligence sharing with the IDF.

“It is completely wrong for the British government to assist in prosecution of this war in Gaza,” the Foreign Secretary said. “We did not do that.”

In 2023, the UK admitted that some of its “unarmed” drones hovered on the streets and were helping to find Israeli hostages that Hamas robbed in the October 7 attack. Hamas still holds 50 people, and 20 are believed to be alive.

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard reiterated his position in April 2025, telling MPs that British drones had conducted “the only purpose of finding hostages” in Gaza.

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) declined to comment on whether Israeli aircraft can use the Royal Air Force base in Cyprus. However, the BBC verification also identified Israeli Air Force aircraft in British airspace over the past year, after reports of independent export sales. On Brize Norton and Fairford’s Raf Bases, several Re’em refueling planes appeared on dedicated flight tracking locations.

A MOD spokesman told BBC Verification: “It is usually standard practice to authorize a limited number of allies and partners to request access to the UK’s air base.”

“We cannot comment or provide information related to military aircraft movements or actions of foreign countries,” the spokesperson added.

The UK often offers training courses for allied armies, many of which focus on leadership, logistics and network operations. For example, thousands of Ukrainian troops have arrived in the UK since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022 for basic training.

Lord Coaker, Secretary of State for the British Ministry of Defense, said in April that since 2020, “less than 10” of IDF personnel have been trained every year in the UK’s non-combat military academic courses.

He refused to say exactly how many IDF troops had participated in the course during this period, or which courses had been taken “to protect personal information.” But ministers insist that these curriculums emphasize the importance of compliance with international humanitarian law.

Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard confirmed in June that “limited number of IDF personnel” participated in the UK’s training courses but refused to provide more details.

After the 2024 election, Britain’s responsibility for Israel’s campaign in Gaza has changed. The New Labor government abandoned the government’s opposition and arrested the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

It has since become more voiced in criticism of Israel’s leaders and joined 27 other countries this week denounced the “inhuman killing of civilians” seeking food and water in Gaza.

The Labor government suspended talks to escalate the free trade agreement with Israel in May, and Rami called Israel’s treatment of Palestinians “an insult to the values of the British people.”

But while the government has approved two far-right Israeli ministers to “incite violence” in the occupied West Bank, no direct sanctions on Israel’s actions in Gaza have been imposed, according to Hamas-ruling the Ministry of Health killed at least 59,029 people.