A growing group of public figures, including high-profile actors and musicians, has signed an open letter urging British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to immediately suspend UK arms sales to Israel and push for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, actress Judi Dench, Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai are among the latest to add their names to the letter, which now has more than 400 signatories, according to The Independent.
The appeal, organized by the refugee charity Choose Love, also includes Florence Pugh, Stanley Tucci, former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, musicians Paul Weller and Self Esteem.
The letter calls on the UK government end arms exports to Israel and use “use all available means” to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza. It calls for Starmer to “make a commitment to the children of Gaza” and support an “immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Since the release of the letter in May, Choose Love has also been holding vigil outside Parliament, where participants recognize the children who have died in Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has claimed the number of children who have died is over 15,600.
Choose Love’s chief executive Josie Naughton said the momentum is growing. “Since we urged the government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call,” she said. “We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.”
Although the UK has suspended some arms exports to Israel, signatories are calling for a full halt, including parts used for F-35 fighter jets. The government, though, has argued that halting such exports is not feasible.
“Last year, we suspended export licenses to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licenses for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict,” a UK government spokesperson said. “We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.”
The spokesperson added: “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.”
“The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.”
The UK government has also sanctioned two Israeli officials, claiming they are “inciting violence against Palestinian people” and “encouraging egregious abuses of human rights.”
Naughton stated, “The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK Government has halted all arms sales and licenses to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.”
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, actress Judi Dench, Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai are among the latest to add their names to the letter, which now has more than 400 signatories, according to The Independent.
The appeal, organized by the refugee charity Choose Love, also includes Florence Pugh, Stanley Tucci, former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw, musicians Paul Weller and Self Esteem.
The letter calls on the UK government end arms exports to Israel and use “use all available means” to ensure humanitarian aid reaches Gaza. It calls for Starmer to “make a commitment to the children of Gaza” and support an “immediate and permanent ceasefire.”
Since the release of the letter in May, Choose Love has also been holding vigil outside Parliament, where participants recognize the children who have died in Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has claimed the number of children who have died is over 15,600.
Choose Love’s chief executive Josie Naughton said the momentum is growing. “Since we urged the government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call,” she said. “We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.”
Although the UK has suspended some arms exports to Israel, signatories are calling for a full halt, including parts used for F-35 fighter jets. The government, though, has argued that halting such exports is not feasible.
“Last year, we suspended export licenses to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licenses for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict,” a UK government spokesperson said. “We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.”
The spokesperson added: “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.”
“The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.”
The UK government has also sanctioned two Israeli officials, claiming they are “inciting violence against Palestinian people” and “encouraging egregious abuses of human rights.”
Naughton stated, “The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK Government has halted all arms sales and licenses to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.”
