Labour MP calls on UK to halt transfer of F-35 components to Israel
A UK Labour MP has delivered a speech in parliament calling for the suspension of the delivery of F-35 fighter jet components to Israel.
Andy McDonald backed a campaign brought by Palestinian rights organisations against the British government, which is facing a High Court challenge over the export of such components used by Israel in Gaza.
“We cannot say that we’re observing the Genocide, Geneva Conventions and Rome Statutes if we continue to supply Israel’s military,” he said.
F-35s are delivering the weapons dropping on children in Gaza.
There is growing opinion which says the UK is not observing international law.
We cannot say that we're observing the Genocide, Geneva Conventions and Rome Statutes if we continue to supply Israel's military. pic.twitter.com/45h8xE5wWT
— Andy McDonald MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East (@AndyMcDonaldMP) May 14, 2025
Germany’s chancellor calls for action to avert ‘famine’ in Gaza
Germany’s new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has urged all sides to avert a “famine” in Gaza, which has been under an aid blockade by Israel since early March.
“It is a humanitarian obligation on all parties … and I stress, on all parties, that famine in the region be averted as soon as possible,” Merz said in his first government statement in parliament since taking office last week.
UN chief reiterates call for Gaza ceasefire
Speaking alongside the German chancellor in Berlin, Antonio Guterres has appealed for an end to the war.
“I reiterate my call for an immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, unimpeded humanitarian access and an immediate cessation of hostilities allowing for an irreversible path towards a two-state solution,” the UN secretary-general told reporters.
Canadian foreign minister says Israel using food as a tool in Gaza
Canada’s new Foreign Minister Anita Anand has accused Israel of using access to food as a political tool in Gaza, which has been under a total blockade since March 2.
“We cannot allow the continued use of food as a political tool … Over 50,000 people have died as a result of the aggression caused against the Palestinians and the Gazan people in Palestine. Using food as a political tool is simply unacceptable,” Anand told reporters before a cabinet meeting.
“We need to continue to work towards a ceasefire. We need to ensure that we have a two-state solution, and Canada will continue to maintain that position.”
Italy’s prime minister calls Gaza humanitarian situation ‘unjustifiable’
Giorgia Meloni also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must respect international law.
“In recent months, I have spoken to Prime Minister Netanyahu on several occasions, they have often been difficult conversations in which I have always called for the urgency of finding a way to end hostilities and respect international law and international humanitarian law,” Meloni said, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
“A request that I renew today, in the face of a humanitarian situation in Gaza that I have no difficulty in defining as increasingly dramatic and unjustifiable”.
