Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: UK response to the conflict July 2024 to March 2025

On 7 October 2023, the Palestinian group Hamas, officially designated a terrorist group by many countries including Israel, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, commenced an armed assault against Israel. It launched several thousand rockets into Israel and conducted attacks in border areas, killing around 1,200 civilians and taking 254 hostages, as part of what it called “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood”.

In response, in October 2023 Israel conducted air strikes against Hamas in Gaza and launched a ground attack to “destroy Hamas’ governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home”. Hamas continued to fire rockets into Israel after 7 October.

This briefing provides information on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the UK response to the conflict between July 2024 and March 2025 and will not be updated.

The Commons Library research briefing Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2025: UK and international response provides information on events since the end of the Israel–Hamas hostage-ceasefire agreement in March 2025.

The Commons Library collection Middle East instability in 2023-25 has more on the international response and the conflicts in the Red Sea, Lebanon and between Israel and Iran. It also details activity at the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court and the position of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Fighting, pauses and ceasefire agreements  

Fighting between Israel and Hamas was ongoing from October 2023 to January 2025. Citing Israeli authorities and the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) says that since 7 October 2023 over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been reported killed and around 5,400 injured. At least 50,144 Palestinians have been reported killed and 113,704 injured (as of 25 March 2025). In the West Bank, Israeli operations are estimated to have displaced 40,000.

There were two major pauses in fighting between October 2023 and March 2025. The first was from 24 November 2023 to 1 December 2023 to enable the release of hostages. Before it began, Israel said it would last no longer than 10 days and fighting would then resume. The pause enabled the release of 110 hostages from Gaza and 240 Palestinian prisoners from Israel.

The second pause was between 19 January 2025 and 18 March 2025, when Israel and Hamas began a three-stage agreement. The plan was modelled on a UN Security Council resolution of June 2024. Stage one was planned to last 42 days to allow for the release of some hostages, exchange of prisoners, and more aid into Gaza. The then US President Joe Biden said stage two would bring a “permanent end to the war”. The UK welcomed the agreement.

However, negotiations for extending stage one (favoured by the US and Israel) or moving to stage two (favoured by Hamas) did not succeed and in March 2025 Israel announced a resumption of military action.

There is ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank and Israeli military operations targeting Hamas and other groups. Iran-supported groups such as the Houthis in Yemen and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria launched attacks on shipping and against US and Israeli targets between 2023 and early 2025. A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-aligned Hezbollah (a proscribed terrorist group in the UK) in Lebanon and northern Israel was agreed in November 2024. Iran attacked Israel in April 2024 and October 2024.

UK actions (July 2024 to January 2025)

Military and humanitarian actions  

• The UK has deployed military assets to promote de-escalation. UK drone surveillance of Gaza has been conducted for the purpose of hostage rescue. The government also says it has not provided “lethal or military equipment” to Israel since 7 October 2023. In response to questions on the potential use of UK military bases on Cyprus by Israel and the US, the government says it does not “confirm, deny or comment on any foreign national military aircraft movement or operation”.
• UK military assets supported the defence of Israel against Iran in April and October 2024 (though only intercepted Iranian drones in April). The UK is also participating in Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks and conducted five air strikes against the Houthis from January to May 2024.
• In 2024/25 the UK plans £129 million in aid to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. None is directed via Hamas. In July and December 2024 the government announced new funding to UNRWA. New UK funding had been paused following allegations some UNRWA staff were involved in the 7October assault. The government said the new funding followed UNRWA commitments to reform to ensure its neutrality. The Library briefing, West Bank and Gaza Strip: UK aid and UNRWA has more.

UK statements (July 2024 to March 2025)

Immediate ceasefire and release of hostages

The UK welcomed the January 2025 agreement. The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy said that the agreement should be implemented in full and that it offered a chance of “a lasting peace” for Israelis and Palestinians. Following the resumption of Israeli military action on 18 March 2025, Mr Lammy said aid should be restored and the UK “strongly oppose[s] Israel’s resumption of hostilities”. The government reiterated that the January agreement should be implemented “in full and become permanent”.

Suspending some arms exports to Israel

In September 2024, the UK Government said it would suspend around 30 of the 350 arms licences for exports to Israel, following a review.

Mr Lammy said that the UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence in line with international humanitarian law, but said he had concluded that “for certain UK arms exports to Israel there does exist a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law”. A statement sets out the government’s reasoning. The Commons Library research briefing UK arms exports to Israel has more.

The Conservatives criticised the announcement’s timing and questioned how it would support the release of hostages. The Liberal Democrats welcomed the decision but called for UK restrictions to go further.

UK sanctions in response to Israeli settler violence

The UK announced three sets of sanctions against Israeli settlers and some outposts in the occupied West Bank, in February 2024, May 2024, and October 2024. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has condemned the settler violence. The Trump Administration has ended US sanctions.

Adhering to international court decisions

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an international court (PDF) dedicated to prosecuting individuals for “the most serious crimes of international concern”.

In May 2024, the ICC prosecutor applied to the court’s judges for arrest warrants against three Hamas leaders and two Israeli leaders (Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant). In November 2024, the ICC said it would issue the arrest warrants. Israel says it will challenge the decision. The UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, said the UK would adhere to international law and the enforcement of any arrest warrants in the UK would be a decision for UK courts, not the government.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is one of the principal organs of the UN. It settles disputes between UN members and issues advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by other authorized UN organs.

South Africa has brought a case against Israel at the ICJ. The ICJ has issued three preliminary orders that call for Israel to increase aid and to minimise civilian casualties (among other measures). As part of a separate case begun in 2022, in July 2024 the ICJ issued an advisory opinion on Israeli occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

In January 2025, the UK Government said it was continuing to consider the opinion and said “we hope to report soon”. It has said “every effort must be made to create the conditions for negotiations towards a two-state solution”.