Britain has quietly approved two new military export licences to Israel, including an £8.7 million licence for ‘components and technology for targeting equipment,’ despite its September 2024 suspension of such exports over concerns they could be used in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. According to the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), the UK issued £20.5 million ($27.9 million) worth of export licences to Israel in the final quarter of 2025 alone.
The UK government says the targeting equipment licence is allowed because the items are meant for re-export and Israel is not the final end-user. CAAT argues this is a legal loophole, warning Israel could simply divert the equipment to the Israel Defense Forces for use in Gaza, a process it calls ‘auto-diversion’. The group says Britain has no clear system for checking where exported military goods actually end up once they leave the country.
A second licence covers components for military training aircraft linked to the M-346 jet trainer, used to prepare Israeli pilots before flying F-16 and F-35 combat missions in Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon. CAAT says these approvals expose how Britain continues supporting Israel’s military operations while relying on weak and unenforceable end-user assurances rather than meaningful restrictions.
