Report shows extent of Israel-UK military collaboration on Gaza

A report published by the British Palestinian Committee (BPC) outlines the significant role of British military involvement in Israel’s war on Gaza and calls on the UK government to cease its collaboration with the Israeli military, the Middle East Eye reported on January 28th.
The report states that although the British government “has not been directly perpetrating violence in Gaza, it has played an influential role, not only through the validation of arms licences, but also through wider and deeper military collaboration with Israel.”
This alliance encompasses the procurement of weapons from Israel’s military industry and the utilisation of British military bases—particularly RAF base Akrotiri in Cyprus—by the UK, US, and Germany to supply Israel with “weapons, personnel, and intelligence” since the conflict began after Hamas-led attacks on October 7th 2023.
The UK has also been involved in attacks against the Houthis in Yemen and has supported Israel in protecting its military infrastructure from potential Iranian attacks after escalations by Israel.
According to the report, the UK “is not simply failing in its third-party responsibilities to uphold international law, but is actively complicit in genocidal acts perpetrated against the Palestinian people.”
Based in London, BPC is an advocacy group that has spotlighted the use of the F-35 fighter jet, which, alongside drones, helicopters, and other aircraft, has been used to carry out airstrikes in Gaza during the conflict.
On July 13th 2024, an Israeli F-35 dropped three 2,000-pound bombs on a camp for displaced people in Gaza’s Al Mawasi, resulting in at least 90 fatalities.
The report said: “This strike was made possible through British manufacturing and the supply of British-made spare parts that sustain Israel’s F-35 fleet.”
In September 2024, the UK government halted the direct export of British-made F-35 components to Israel as part of a broader measure to block the shipment of weapons that could be used to violate international humanitarian law in Gaza.
However, the UK continued exporting fighter jet parts to a global pool, where they could still become a part of Israeli F-35s.
At the moment, the F-35 programme lacks the track and trace capacity to enable parts that are heading to particular countries to be stopped without causing disruption to the international fleet.
As per recent court documents, if the UK was to stop its delivery to Israel, it would require a complete suspension of programme exports.
British officials have argued that such a move would put global peace and security at risk.
Meanwhile, the government has acknowledged that Israel could commit war crimes using F-35s, while campaigners have criticised the UK for failing to adhere to its own regulations and international treaty obligations by continuing to export components.
The F-35 programme, led by the US, is aided by the UK as the most senior international partner. The UK is responsible for manufacturing “significantly” over 15% of each jet, according to Lockheed Martin UK’s CEO, which is the company that produces the aircraft.
A total of 79 companies in the UK make parts for the F-35 programme, including BAE Systems, which constructs the rear fuselage for all F-35 jets, and Martin Baker, which manufactures the ejector seats.
While the Israeli air force’s F-35s used in Gaza were produced before October 2023, each aircraft requires a steady supply of replacement parts.
According to the BPC report, RAF Marham has been used to send F-35 spare parts to Israel on seven occasions since the conflict in Gaza began.
RAF Marham serves as the maintenance hub for the RAF’s F-35 fleet, under a public-private partnership with BAE Systems, which employs at least 130 maintenance workers at the base.
Declassified, citing leaked cargo documents, reported that Martin Baker, the UK company producing ejector seats for F-35s, received a shipment from Israel’s Nevatim airbase in September 2024.
Key to the UK-Israel military partnership are Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two British bases on the island of Cyprus, a former British colony.
Although the British government considered closing these bases in 1974, the US insisted that it is too crucial to maintain access to them.
The BPC report said: “Although Akrotiri is used by US personnel and Dhekelia is a joint US-UK intelligence station, the British government has to authorise operations by allies in any of its Cyprus base areas.”
During a visit to Akrotiri last month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed troops. Starmer said: “The whole world and everyone back at home is relying on you.”
Starmer added: “Quite a bit of what goes on here can’t necessarily be talked about all of the time. We can’t necessarily tell the world what you’re doing.”
During the period of Israel’s war on Gaza, military cargo has been airlifted from Akrotiri to Israel. The cargo has often gone to Cyprus from US bases across Europe.
RAF shadow aircraft have also been carrying out nightly surveillance flights over Gaza, which the British government is aware of, asserting that these operations are part of “hostage rescue” efforts.
The report’s final remarks highlight that the British government is “in effect, engaged in military actions without being subject to parliamentary scrutiny, and that these actions implicate its institutions and officials in the gravest breaches of international law.”
Middle East Eye