Britain has limited arms supplies to Israel

The British government has said it is suspending the export of certain weapons to Israel because there is a "clear risk" that the country could violate international humanitarian law by using them.

The BBC writes about it.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the decision affected about 30 of the 350 weapons "intended for use in the ongoing conflict in Gaza". In particular, these are spare parts for military aircraft, helicopters and drones, as well as ground weapons.

But UK-made parts for the F-35 fighter jets that Israel uses to strike targets in Gaza will not be included in the UK ban.

David Lammy said the UK continued to support Israelʼs right to self-defence and the new measures did not mean an arms embargo.

Israelʼs Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in response to Britainʼs decision, said that Israel abides by international law.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he was "deeply disappointed" by the sanctions.

The chief executive of Amnesty International in the UK Sacha Deshmukh said the bans were "too restrictive and riddled with loopholes".

According to him, the British government "continues to risk complicity in war crimes, apartheid and possible genocide by Israeli forces in Gaza."

At the beginning of May this year, the USA suspended the supply of ammunition to Israel. At the time, it was the first such precedent since the Palestinian movement Hamas attacked Israeli territory in October 2023.

Israel is criticized

World leaders have repeatedly condemned Israel for attacks on civilians. For example, after an airstrike on a Palestinian camp, Turkish President Recep Erdogan promised to bring the "barbarian", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to justice. French President Emmanuel Macron is "outraged" by the attack, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned Israelʼs actions and reiterated his demand to stop hostilities in accordance with the order of the International Court of Justice.

On May 24, 2024, the UN International Court of Justice obliged Israel to stop the operation in the Gaza Strip. The court made a decision based on South Africaʼs lawsuit, which the country filed this winter. The question of whether the Israeli army is committing genocide in Gaza is still under consideration.

In the lawsuit, South Africa actually accused Israel of genocide and asked the UN court to issue a cease-fire order while the case is pending.

The court in January 2024 ordered Israel to take a series of "temporary measures" to prevent genocide in the Gaza Strip, but did not order an immediate end to the fighting against Hamas militants. At the same time, Israel declared that the war against Hamas will last as long as necessary. It continues to this day (fighting is going on in the area of the city of Rafah). The orders of the International Court of Justice are legally binding, but have no direct mechanisms to force countries to comply with them.

At the same time, the Israelis want a ceasefire and the return of prisoners — the most massive protests in a year and a half began in the country.

The war between Israel and Hamas

The new escalation of the war has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a massive rocket attack on southern and central Israel, invaded the countryʼs territory and killed 1 195 civilians.

More than 1 200 people became victims of that attack, and more than 250 were taken hostage and taken to Gaza. In response, Israel launched a military operation in the Gaza Strip, which killed about 300 IDF soldiers.

Hamas claims that more than 40 000 Gazans died during the Israeli operation, and hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their homes. It is impossible to confirm these data, especially regarding the dead. Hamas does not separate civilians and fighters in its statistics.