UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
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New data show UK weapons sales to "Israel" hit unprecedented levels in 2025, despite a partial suspension and mounting pressure for a full arms embargo.
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An Israeli Air Force fighter jet releases flares over the Gaza Strip seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 8, 2025 (AP)
New customs data reveal that the value of UK arms exports to "Israel" surged to a record high in June 2025, with September ranking as the second-highest month on record, despite the Labour government’s partial suspension of some export licenses, Anadolu reported.
According to Channel 4, the government still maintains more than 300 active export licenses for military equipment to "Israel" as of July, even as calls mount for a total arms embargo over "Israel’s" war on Gaza.
The figures have intensified scrutiny of the UK’s arms export licensing system, which requires that all applications be assessed against the risk of contributing to violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).
However, Israeli customs data suggest that shipments have continued largely unabated. In August 2025, more than 100,000 bullets were exported from Britain to "Israel", with the total value of UK arms sales that month reaching an estimated £150,000 ($201,000).
Wider context
In June, "Israel" imported £408,000 ($547,000) worth of arms from the UK, the highest monthly total since records began in January 2022.
The surge comes despite the UK’s announcement in September 2024 that it had suspended 29 of approximately 350 export licenses “to prevent the use of UK items by the Israeli military in Gaza.”
Between October 7, 2023, and May 2024, the UK approved 108 new export licenses for military and dual-use goods to "Israel", without revoking or rejecting any applications.
Suspension applied to 'small number of licenses'
Foreign Secretary David Lammy later explained that the suspension applied to “a small number of licenses” where there was “a clear risk” that exports could contribute to serious breaches of IHL. However, the restrictions excluded key categories, such as components linked to the F-35 fighter jet program, which are supplied through an international supply chain.
Critics, including the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), argue that British firms remain deeply involved in providing components for "Israel’s" radar, targeting, and electronic warfare systems, as well as for the F-35 aircraft used in airstrikes on Gaza.
The government has defended its approach, claiming that all licenses are “kept under continual review” and that the UK “must balance its export controls with Israel’s right to self-defense.”
UK sent 110,000 bullets to 'Israel' in August despite genocide in Gaza
Earlier this month, an investigation by Channel 4 revealed that the United Kingdom shipped 110,000 bullets to "Israel" in August 2025.
According to the broadcaster's analysis, the ammunition, valued at approximately £20,000 ($27,000), was part of a broader surge in UK arms exports to "Israel". In August, total exports topped £150,000, making it the second-highest monthly total since January 2022. Customs records classify the shipment under "Israel's" import codes for "bullets". Other contemporaneous exports included tank components, parts for rifles and shotguns, and a broader assortment of explosives, projectiles, and other munitions.
"Our analysis of Israel Tax Authority figures shows munitions worth around £400,000 arriving from the UK and passing through Israeli customs in June 2025 – the highest amount in a single month since available records began more than three years ago," Channel 4 reported.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny of Britain's arms trade and foreign policy, which critics say stand in stark contradiction to its recent recognition of Palestine.
Gaza's human cost
The Channel 4 revelations coincide with a rapidly escalating death toll in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed at least 66,148 Palestinians and injured more than 168,716, according to humanitarian monitors.
UN experts and leading international NGOs have concluded that "Israel's" actions amount to genocide, citing indiscriminate bombing, forced displacement, and deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid.
Despite these findings, Britain's arms trade with "Israel" remains active. Campaigners say the UK risks direct complicity in war crimes, as British-made ammunition and aircraft parts are used in bombardments that overwhelmingly target civilians.
With mounting outrage from civil society, legal experts, and faith leaders, calls for a complete and unconditional arms embargo on "Israel" are intensifying.
