UK's public position on Israel arms exports 'at odds' with internal reviews

The UK government is facing pressure from a coalition of rights groups to explain how it knows that British-made weapons have not been delivered to Israel since the 7 October attacks, Middle East Eye can exclusively reveal.

Scrutiny from the groups comes as Israel is poised to assault Rafah, where an estimated 1.5 million Palestinians have sought shelter, and days after UN experts warned that the transfer of weapons to Israel for use in Gaza is "likely to violate international humanitarian law" and must stop immediately.

The UK government has said that it has not provided lethal or military equipment to Israel since the Hamas-led attacks and subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza.

But in an affidavit filed at the High Court by the Department for Business and Trade in January, the government identified 28 current licences and 28 pending applications for the export of equipment "most likely to be used by the [Israeli army] in offensive operations in Gaza".

Read more: UK's public position on Israel arms exports 'at odds' with internal reviews