Pop star Dua Lipa has joined approximately 300 UK celebrities in signing an open letter today, urging Britain to halt arms sales to Israel. This collective plea follows similar calls from prominent lawyers and writers.
The letter, addressed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calls on him to “end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza.” British-Albanian pop sensation Dua Lipa has been a vocal critic of the conflict in Gaza, previously describing Israel’s offensive as a “genocide” last year. Israel has consistently denied allegations of genocide, stating its military campaign aims to dismantle Hamas following the deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian militants.
Other notable signatories include actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, and Riz Ahmed, alongside musicians Paloma Faith, Annie Lennox, and Massive Attack. Sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, who previously stepped down from his BBC role after a social media post containing anti-Semitic imagery, also endorsed the letter.
Organized by Choose Love, a UK-based humanitarian aid and refugee advocacy charity, the letter to Labour leader Starmer states, “You can’t call it ‘intolerable’ and keep sending arms.” Signatories collectively urged the UK to ensure “full humanitarian access across Gaza,” broker an “immediate and permanent ceasefire,” and “immediately suspend” all arms sales to Israel. The letter concludes with a direct appeal: “The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. Prime Minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?”
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Starmer criticized Israel’s “egregious” renewed military offensive in Gaza and pledged “further concrete actions” if it did not cease, without specifying those actions. Last September, the UK government suspended 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel, citing a “clear risk” of their potential use in breaching humanitarian law.
Global outrage has intensified since Israel ended a ceasefire in March and escalated military operations this month. The Hamas-run health ministry reports that thousands of people have been killed in Gaza over the past two months. Concerns are also mounting over the humanitarian situation and fears of starvation, following a two-month blockade on aid entering the devastated territory.
This week, over 800 UK lawyers, including Supreme Court justices, and approximately 380 British and Irish writers, issued open letters warning of Israel potentially committing a “genocide” in Gaza.
In the October 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas killed 1,218 people, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants also took 251 hostages, with 57 still believed to be in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military states are deceased. Israel’s subsequent military offensive has resulted in 54,084 fatalities in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to its health ministry, displaced nearly the entire population, and devastated large areas of the besieged strip.
