The recent statements from the UK government regarding Israel’s horrific crimes in Gaza are a welcome realisation that Israel, their trusted ally, is engaged in heinous brutality against the people of Gaza.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy stood in the House of Commons yesterday (May 20th) and denounced Israel’s blockade of Gaza as “morally wrong” and “an affront to the values of the British people”, and in doing so, also paused the free-trade agreement negotiations with Israel and imposed a handful of select, and relatively minor sanctions in protest. A day earlier, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Emmanuel Macron, and Prime Minister Mark Carney jointly warned of “concrete actions” if Israel did not halt its renewed military offensive and allow aid to flow into Gaza.

These statements mark the most explicit criticism of Israel by Western allies in recent memory, yet they came only after more than a year and a half of relentless civilian casualties – more than 50,000 Gazans killed since 2023, including tens of thousands of women and children. How many innocent lives, including those of children, could have been spared if such criticism of atrocities committed by Israel was made more than a year ago, by Western allies.

The question now is whether this belated moral clarity will be backed by the meaningful measures required to effect change, with meaningful being the operative word.

Why have staunch allies of Israel, so long willing to overlook Israel’s egregious conduct, suddenly decided to speak up and speak out? I suspect the shift has less to do with a newfound sensitivity to human suffering and more to do with geopolitics, and the dawning realisation that accountability can bring.

It has been reported over the last few weeks that President Trump has grown weary and tired of Netanyahu, viewing the Israeli leader’s strategy as a liability to his own deal-making legacy. Indeed, Trump notably omitted Israel from his recent Gulf tour despite intense lobbying from Netanyahu’s government, signalling a widening rift between Washington and Tel Aviv. That schism has given the United Kingdom, Canada, and France the diplomatic cover they needed to voice their deep-rooted anxiety about Israel’s conduct, without fear of outright US opposition, or even worse, a White House rebuke.

Add to this, extremely powerful interventions from seasoned diplomats, respected experts and humanitarian workers. At the UN Security Council briefing on May 13, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher warned the body to “stop the 21st-century atrocity” unfolding in Gaza, emphasising that no aid had entered the Strip for more than 10 weeks and that 2.1 million people faced imminent famine. He rightly challenged Israel’s supporters, and the international community at large, with a simple question “Will you act – decisively – to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law? Or will you say instead, ‘we did all we could?’”

Following this, Fletcher delivered a harrowing plea: unless vital aid reached families in Gaza within 48 hours, some 14,000 babies could die. Fourteen thousand babies. If that does not prick your moral conscience, then surely nothing will. Such stark testimony from a diplomat and humanitarian with decades of experience in conflict zones simply underscores what many others have told us, Gaza is hell on earth, and the conditions on the ground are beyond inhumane.

As images and livestreams of civilians suffering multiply, countries that have supported, armed, and funded Israel are also having to confront their own complicity. Moral outrage alone is insufficient. If Western governments truly believe Israel’s actions are “monstrous”, “intolerable” and “unacceptable”, as the UK government has said in the last 48 hours, then they must take concrete steps rather than issue a handful of token sanctions or pause talks on negotiations that haven’t taken place in months.

Here are three concrete actions the UK and Western allies should take, and take now:

Firstly, the UK and its allies must immediately suspend all arms exports and related components to Israel. Current UK measures – suspending just 10 percent of arms licences – are grotesquely inadequate. If the foreign secretary can describe the atrocities being committed by Israel as “an affront to British values”, how can he justify selling British weapons, munitions and components, including parts for F-35 Jets that facilitate such atrocities?

Secondly, the UK must impose meaningful sanctions. Beyond trivial asset freezes on a handful of Israeli figures, sanctions must target senior Israeli officials. Sanctions should be imposed on the likes of Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose recent pronouncements about cleansing and destroying Gaza were rightly labelled as extremism by the foreign secretary. Sanctions should also be forthcoming for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. There should also be a serious discussion of trade embargoes and cultural boycotts, comparable to those once imposed on apartheid South Africa, to isolate a government that the ICJ has found to be in violation of the prohibition of apartheid and racial segregation.

Finally, the UK and Western allies must immediately recognise the State of Palestine, following the lead of European allies Ireland, Norway, and Spain. If the UK truly believes a two-state solution is the path to peace, it cannot pay mere lip service by calling for negotiations while only recognising one state. We know there is no military solution to the Palestine/Israel question. It will only be resolved through diplomacy and negotiations. There can be no serious progress towards the path to peace if the rights of one people are completely denied.

Statements over the last couple of days from London, Paris, and Ottawa are long overdue – and welcome – however, they must be the prelude to significant action and sanctions in order to stop the genocide of the people of Gaza.

It is far too late for tens of thousands of dead Gazans, the countless injured, and those driven from their homes. Nonetheless, the emerging tide of Western criticism suggests a dawning realisation that uncritical support for Israel has placed these governments on the wrong side of history—an error they may yet be held accountable for in years to come.

The real measure of their resolve will be in the meaningful actions they take now, not the force of their rhetoric.

For the sake of 14,000 babies, on the verge of death, I hope that action comes sooner rather than later.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed dozens of Palestinians since dawn, medical sources said, as limited supplies of humanitarian aid trickled into the Palestinian territory after Israel eased its total blockade.

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 51 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Thursday, including 25 in Gaza City and northern areas of the Strip.

At least 10 people, including nine members of the same family, were killed in an Israeli attack that hit an area housing displaced people in the al-Baraka area of ​​Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

Five people were killed in an Israeli attack on the Bakhit family home in the as-Saftawi area, in northwest Gaza, Wafa reported.

In Beit Lahiya on the northern edge of the enclave, a tank shell hit a medicine warehouse inside Al-Awda Hospital and set it ablaze, the health ministry said.

Rescue workers had been trying to extinguish the fires for hours, it added.
Tanks are stationed outside the hospital, medics say, effectively blocking access to the facility.

Aid groups collect supplies

The attacks come as aid groups collected humanitarian supplies carried by about 90 trucks that have entered Gaza since Israel began allowing limited goods in earlier this week, the United Nations said on Thursday.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Humanitarian agency OCHA, said the trucks that entered carried medicine, wheat flour and nutrition supplies.

Aid groups face significant challenges distributing the aid because of insecurity, the risk of looting and coordination issues with Israeli authorities, Laerke added.

The Gaza Government Media Office said late on Wednesday that 87 aid trucks were allocated to international and local organisations to meet “urgent humanitarian needs”.

Al Jazeera’s Tarek Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the food trucks entered on Wednesday and “successfully off-loaded” at designated UN distribution centres.

Since then, some bakeries have “resumed operations”, he said, citing Gaza’s media office.

“This has been a significant logistical step forward,” Abu Azzoum said, but noted that the supplies were still a “trickle” compared with the needs of the population in Gaza, where experts warn of a looming famine.

Due to security concerns, food aid has also not yet reached the northern part of Gaza, where thousands of civilians are also under siege, our correspondent said.

“The question here remains whether Israel would allow an unconditional flow of aid to the Gaza Strip,” he said, adding that the UN has been demanding at least 500 food trucks be allowed into the territory daily after more than 80 days of a complete blockade.

On Wednesday, the UN said it was trying to get the desperately needed aid as quickly as possible into the hands of Palestinians amid delays because of fears of looting and Israeli military restrictions and strikes.

Palestinians have been scrambling for basic supplies after weeks of near-total isolation, with Israel’s blockade leading to critical food and medicine shortages, and fears of a widespread famine.

According to the UN, half a million people, or one in five people in the Gaza Strip, are facing starvation while the entire population continues to face a critical risk of famine.

Pope Leo XIV described the situation in Gaza as “worrying and painful” and called for “the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid”.

In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel is days away from implementing a new aid system in Gaza that has come under heavy international criticism.

He said Israel later plans to create a “sterile zone” there, free of Hamas, where the population, which has repeatedly evacuated and relocated throughout the war, would be moved and receive supplies.

Gaza’s health ministry said at least 3,509 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18. At least 53,655 have been killed since Israel launched its assault on Gaza in October 2023, according to Palestinian health authorities.

On Tuesday, the United Kingdom government suspended free trade negotiations with Israel in response to its military conduct in the war on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Addressing the parliament, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK government couldn’t continue talks on upgrading its existing trade agreement with an Israeli government pursuing what he called “egregious policies” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

This came a day after the UK, France and Canada threatened to take “concrete actions” against Israel if it does not stop its renewed offensive and lift aid restrictions in Gaza.

Meanwhile, the European Union has also taken a step towards reassessing its relationship with Israel with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirming on Tuesday that the bloc had voted to review its trade cooperation agreement.

How much is Israel-UK trade worth?

The United Kingdom and Israel embarked on negotiations for a modernised Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in July 2022, aiming to enhance their economic partnership by addressing areas not covered in their existing trade agreement, particularly services and digital trade.

According to United Nations Comtrade, a global database of official international trade statistics, in 2024, the UK ranked as Israel’s 11th largest import partner, with imports totalling some $1.96bn. The main products imported from the UK included machinery such as jet engines, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals and vehicles.

Conversely, the UK was Israel’s eighth largest export destination, receiving Israeli exports valued at about $1.57bn, primarily of diamonds, chemical products, machinery and electronics.

What are Israel’s biggest imports and exports?

Israel’s global trade in 2024 consisted of $91.5bn in imports and $61.7bn in exports.

Some of Israel’s top imports include:

Electrical machinery, electronics and mechanical appliances worth some $19bn.
Vehicles including cars, trucks, buses and planes worth about $10bn.
Chemical products including pharmaceuticals worth $8bn.
Mineral products including petroleum, coal and cement worth $7bn.
Gems and jewellery including diamonds worth $4bn.

Some of Israel’s top exports include:

Electrical machinery, electronics and mechanical appliances worth some $18bn.
Chemical products including pharmaceuticals worth $10bn.
Gems and jewellery including polished diamonds worth $9bn.
Optical, technical and medical apparatus worth $7bn.
Mineral products worth $5bn.

Israel’s electronics sector is a key engine of its export economy, led by significant players like Intel, which runs large-scale chip fabrication facilities, as well as companies such as Elbit Systems and Orbotech, known for their expertise in military electronics and advanced manufacturing.

Israel is a major exporter of pharmaceuticals, driven by companies such as Teva Pharmaceuticals, one of the world’s largest generic drug manufacturers.

Israel is also a global leader in the diamond trade, importing billions of dollars worth of rough diamonds which are then cut, polished and processed domestically before being exported.

Which countries buy the most from Israel?

Israel sold $61.7bn worth of goods in 2024. The biggest importers of Israeli products were the United States with $17.3bn, Ireland with $3.2bn and China with $2.8bn. Hong Kong, a semiautonomous region of China that trade databases treat as a separate entity, imported an additional $2bn in products from Israel. Add that to China’s tally, and the country becomes the second-largest importer of Israeli products.

The United States primarily imported diamonds, high-tech electronics, including integrated circuits and telecommunications equipment, as well as chemical products.
Ireland was the largest buyer of Israeli integrated circuits in 2024, importing some $3bn billion worth of electronic integrated circuits and microassemblies. These components are widely used in Ireland’s pharmaceutical, medical device and tech manufacturing sectors.
China imported a range of Israeli products including optical equipment, electronic components and chemical products.

The table below shows the 117 countries or territories that bought Israeli products in 2024. Search for any country using the search box.

Which countries sell the most to Israel?

Israel bought $91.5bn worth of goods from around the world in 2024. The biggest exporters to Israel were China with $19bn, the United States with $9.4bn, and Germany with $5.6bn.

China primarily exported electric vehicles, mobile phones, computers and metals.
The United States sold Israel explosive munitions, diamonds, electronics and chemical products. Israel receives billions in US military aid, much of which is spent on American-made weapons, effectively boosting US exports.
Germany exported vehicles, pharmaceutical products, machinery and electronics.

The table below shows the 192 countries or territories that sold products to Israel in 2024.