UK MP Richard Burgon calls for investigation into Israeli strike on British medical facility in Gaza

UK MP Richard Burgon is calling on the government to "immediately" launch an investigation into whether the country supplied weaponry used in an Israeli strike that hit a medical facility in Gaza housing British doctors in January.

The Al-Mawasi medical compound, located in an alleged "safe zone" near Khan Younis, housing the Emergency Medical Team of Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), a British charity, and the US-based International Rescue Committee (IRC).

The attack forced the charities to suspend their work at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, one of the few remaining functioning hospitals in Gaza.

MAP staff members, a bodyguard, and four British doctors were injured, and there was "significant damage to the building".

An investigation by the United Nations found that the strike most likely involved a 1,000lb US-manufactured bomb, fired from an F-16 jet, which includes parts supplied by the UK.

"Your Government now has a responsibility to ensure that an investigation is urgently carried out into whether UK arms exports were used in the 18 January airstrike," Burgon said in his letter, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"The public should be told the truth. And arms sales to Israel must stop. Now."

I've written to the Foreign Secretary demanding the Government launches an investigation into whether UK-supplied military equipment was used in the bombing of British doctors volunteering in Gaza.

The public should be told the truth.

And arms sales to Israel must stop. Now. pic.twitter.com/VSZpE7wpsN

— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) March 20, 2024

Declassified reports that UK companies have supplied parts for F-16 jets currently used to bombard Gaza over the past two decades.

Campaigners across the UK have called on the government to end its complicity in the war on Gaza by halting all arms shipments to Israel.

The UK is considering restricting some arms exports to Israel, believing it could breach international humanitarian law if they were used in a ground invasion of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have sought refuge.

The UK government's arms export criteria include halting exports where there is a "clear risk" that such weapons might be used to violate international humanitarian law.