UK threatens Israel with arms embargo unless Red Cross allowed to visit captured Palestinian terrorists

Britain demands Israel allow Red Cross to visit terrorists captured in Gaza, though no such demand was made of Hamas to allow the organization to visit the 134 hostages it is still holding captive since October 7.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The British government has threatened to stop its arms sales to Israel unless Jerusalem allows the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit Palestinian terrorists who were captured in Gaza, Hebrew language media reported Thursday.

Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that Israel must uphold international law and let the ICRC see the conditions of detainees such as Nukhba force fighters who led the massacre of 1,200 people in Gazan envelope communities on October 7, 2023, sparking the current war in the coastal enclave.

The consequences of such a ban is seemingly limited, as UK defense sales to Israel in 2022 amounted only to some $53 million.

However, Cameron reportedly added that the UK would support an EU-wide arms embargo on the Jewish state if Israel refused its demand.

Israel had announced a state of emergency after October 7th and stopped family visitations and phone rights for all security prisoners. The government also declared that it would ban ICRC visits to the prisoners until Hamas obeys the same international law and allows the Red Cross to visit the 253 hostages the terrorist organization had abducted during its invasion.

There are still almost 100 hostages who are believed to be alive in the Gaza Strip after a late November swap of most of the female and underage abductees in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and over 240 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Another 36 abductees are believed dead, with Hamas holding on to their bodies to be used as additional bargaining chips.

Part of the November deal was that the Red Cross would be allowed to visit those remaining in Hamas hands.

Hamas reneged on that part of the agreement, but neither the organization nor the rest of the world has since put any pressure on the terrorists as a result.

From reports of released hostages, it is known that the captives are suffering from hunger, lack of medical care, physical and sexual abuse.

Last month, UK Minister of State Andrew Mitchell told the House of Commons that a wide Israeli incursion into Hamas’ last stronghold of Rafah would be the crossing of a “red line” that would result in an arms embargo due to the “devastating consequences” to civilian lives in such a battle.

Arms ExportsDavid CameronIsrael-Hamas warPalestinian prisonersUK-Israel relations