Four senior former British Army officers – Brigadier John Deverell, Lieutenant General Sir Andrew Graham, Major General Peter Currie, and Major General Charlie Herbert – have urged Labour leader Keir Starmer to impose a full arms embargo on Israel and ban any dealings with Israeli defence companies.

They warned that the fragile ceasefire in Gaza does not justify a return to "business as usual." The officers stated that Israeli military practices violate British standards, citing the use of indiscriminate munitions, large-scale civilian deaths, infrastructure destruction, detainee torture, and targeting of hospitals and schools. They called for an immediate halt to all forms of support, including Royal Air Force operations, military technology transfers, and training of Israeli officers in UK academies.

The statement comes as the British Army considers awarding a £2 billion training contract to the Israeli company Elbit Systems, competing with a consortium led by Raytheon UK.