The British Ministry of Defence (MoD) made at least 49 official visits to Israel since 7 October 2023, averaging almost two trips per month throughout the ongoing Gaza war, newly released data has revealed.
The figures, obtained through a freedom of information request by the charity Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) and shared exclusively with Declassified UK, highlight the extent of Britain’s engagement with Israel’s armed forces amid international criticism of its military actions in Gaza.
According to the report, the total number of visits is more than four times higher than previously disclosed in the MoD’s transparency logs, which listed only 12 official trips by senior military officials. Those earlier records included meetings involving Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, General Sir James Hockenhull, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton.
Labour’s Defence Secretary, John Healey, also travelled to Israel during the conflict, where he met with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant—months before Gallant was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes.
No data has been released for visits after 7 July 2025, meaning the total figure could rise further as the war continues. In the equivalent period before the Gaza conflict, there had been 93 British military visits to Israel, suggesting that despite growing allegations of atrocities, the UK maintained a high level of military contact with Israeli officials.
The close engagement follows the signing of a UK-Israel military cooperation agreement in 2020, the details of which have never been made public.
A recent report by UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese accused Western governments of “complicity” in what she described as Israel’s “ongoing genocide of the Palestinians.” Albanese said that Britain “played a key role in military collaboration with Israel, despite internal opposition.”
Roy Isbister of the NGO Saferworld described the scale of UK military engagement during the Gaza war as “a moral failing of massive proportions,” adding that it “raises serious ethical and political questions.”
“The government seems more comfortable meeting those accused of war crimes than listening to those calling for restraint,” he said.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson responded: “As part of the concerted UK effort to support security and stability in the Middle East and to achieve a peaceful resolution following ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, we conducted defence engagement in the region alongside partners and allies to de-escalate tensions.”
