Met Police assessing claims Britons committed war crimes in Gaza

The Metropolitan Police is deciding what action to take after receiving a report accusing 10 British nationals of war crimes and crimes against humanity while they served in Israel’s military in Gaza.

The 240-page report “will now be assessed by specialist officers to determine whether any UK-based investigation may be required”, a Counter Terrorism Policing spokesperson said.

A summary of the dossier accused the Britons of being involved in the forced displacement of civilians and coordinated attacks on protected sites.

BBC News has contacted the Israel Defense Forces for a response. Israel previously described a report accusing it of similar crimes as “completely false”.

The new dossier, submitted to the Met’s War Crimes Team on behalf of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the Public Interest Law Centre, said the offences took place between October 2023 and May 2024.

The 10 British nationals have not been named publicly. They are accused of “indiscriminate attacks” on civilian areas, including hospitals, and the “targeted killing” of civilians and aid workers.

Some served at officer level in the Israeli military, according to the summary of the report, and some were Israeli dual nationals.

The Met has received around 180 referrals relating to the war in Gaza since the conflict began.

“At this time, there is no UK-based investigation into any matters relating to this particular conflict,” a statement from the force added.

Human rights lawyer Michael Mansfield KC, one of those behind the report, called on the Met to take it “seriously”, “investigate” and try the individuals if proven.

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. About 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 50,750 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive since then, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.