UK government criticises Israel over actions in Gaza

The UK government has said that Israel's latest military actions in Gaza can't be justified and the level of suffering there is "intolerable", meaning it's too bad to accept.

It comes after Israel launched a new military operation in Gaza last weekend and the United Nations (UN) warned a humanitarian crisis was happening there.

The UK, France and Canada responded by warning Israel they would take "concrete actions" if Israel didn't "stop its military operations" and "immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza".

Now the UK government says it has stopped trade talks with Israel and called in its top representative in Britain to be spoken to.

In response, Israel said that pressure from other countries would not stop it from "defending its existence".

The war in Gaza was triggered by an attack led by the armed Islamist group Hamas on 7 October, 2023.

Hundreds of people died in the attack, and many others were kidnapped and taken back into Gaza, where many of them are still being held as hostages.

Following the October attack, and aiming to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages, the Israeli government decided to bomb Gaza, where Hamas is based, and send their armed forces into the territory.

You can read more about the background to the Gaza War here.

Stacks of aid at a crossing between Israel and Gaza

UN reports and international charities have been warning of serious food shortages in Gaza because the Israeli government has blockaded supplies of food, fuel and medicine to Gaza for the last 11 weeks.

Israel said it would allow a "basic amount of food" to enter Gaza, which the UK, France and Canada said wasn't enough.

The UN said that despite trucks carrying flour, baby food and medical equipment being allowed in on Tuesday 20 May, no aid had been given out.

The European Union also said it would be reviewing its trade agreement with Israel in light of its actions in Gaza, and while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Israel's decision to allow some aid into Gaza, he also said "it's not in sufficient amounts".

Since the start of the war in 2023, UK governments have supported Israel's right to defend itself and have called for hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza to be released.

The government has also supported calls for a halt in the fighting and for aid to be given to those who need it.

During a debate in Parliament yesterday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "horrified" by Israel's latest military actions in Gaza.

UK foreign secretary David Lammy said Israel's actions were isolating Israel from friends and partners around the world and "damaging the image of the State of Israel in the eyes of the world".

Governments have called for more aid to be allowed in Gaza

UK government officials say the humanitarian crisis played a part in its latest comments, as did pressure from MPs and the public.

Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this latest military campaign would help rescue the remaining civilians still being held hostage, destroy Hamas and put Gaza under Israel's military control.

Oren Marmorstein, Israel's foreign spokesman, called the UK's response "unjustified" and said that the "pressure will not divert Israel from its path in defending its existence and security against enemies who seek its destruction".