PAOLO Nutini and Ncuti Gatwa are among 100 public figures who have joined calls urging Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel.
The letter, first published last month and organised by Choose Love, has now been signed by more than 400 people, including former Match of the Day host Gary Lineker and stars Dua Lipa and Benedict Cumberbatch.
It calls on the Prime Minister to “use all available means” to ensure humanitarian aid gets into Gaza and “make a commitment to the children of Gaza” that he would broker an “immediate and permanent ceasefire”.
Other public figures who have since signed the letter include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, author Michael Rosen and actors Florence Pugh and Stanley Tucci.
Josie Naughton, CEO of Choose Love, said: “Since we urged the Government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call.
“We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved.”
Following publication of the initial letter in May, Choose Love staged a vigil outside Parliament in which a number of signatories read out the names of 15,613 children killed in Gaza.
In September, the UK Government suspended around 30 of 350 licences to Israel amid concerns the equipment would be used to breach international law in the country’s brutal assault on Gaza.
Last month, The National reported how the Labour Government has licensed exports of more military equipment to Israel in the final three months of 2024 than the Tories did for all of 2020-2023.
Labour are being urged to impose a complete ban on arms sales to Israel, including on parts for the F-35 jet, which is used by Israel to bombard Gaza.
However, the UK Government has previously insisted that halting the export of spare F-35 parts is not possible because the UK is part of a global supply chain, claiming it has no control over where the parts end up.
Naughton added: “The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK Government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: “We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli Government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid.
“The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.
“Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict.
“We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace.”
