London’s Metropolitan Police has confirmed it will not open any formal investigation into 10 British nationals and dual citizens accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving with the Israeli military in Gaza, a decision that human rights groups say threatens to leave serious alleged abuses unaccountable.
The controversial ruling comes more than a year after two human rights legal organizations—the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and the Public Interest Law Centre (PILC)—submitted a 240-page evidence dossier to the Met’s specialized War Crimes Team in April 2023. The dossier laid out detailed allegations linking the 10 individuals to a string of serious violations, including targeted assassinations of Palestinian civilians and humanitarian aid workers, indiscriminate strikes on residential civilian zones, deliberate attacks on hospitals and other internationally protected sites, and the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians from their homes. The submission was backed by an open letter signed by more than 70 international legal and human rights experts, which called on the War Crimes Team to launch a full inquiry into every allegation of involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a formal decision notice released on April 27, 2024, police said they would not move forward with the probe, arguing there is no realistic prospect of securing a conviction and that a thorough, effective investigation could not be carried out. Notably, this decision stands even after the Metropolitan Police acknowledged that global international bodies have repeatedly assessed that Israeli military actions in Gaza could constitute war crimes, and the force initially identified at least four of the 10 named individuals as being of “particular interest” for investigation.
Both PCHR and PILC have publicly voiced deep disappointment with the outcome, arguing that the dossier contained credible, verifiable evidence that merited a full formal investigation. The groups warn the ruling risks creating a dangerous accountability gap that allows British nationals and residents accused of severe international crimes committed abroad to avoid legal consequence.
Paul Heron, a senior solicitor with PILC, said the organizations outright reject the Met’s conclusions, insisting the refusal to investigate was premature and that police applied an incorrect legal standard to the case. “This was not a charging decision made by prosecutors at the end of a full investigation—it was a decision about whether serious allegations of the most severe core international crimes should even be investigated at all,” Heron explained. He added that the police’s approach sets an unreasonably high barrier for any future war crime probes, noting “the entire purpose of an investigation is to gather and test evidence, including evidence that is not accessible to victims, their legal representatives or civil society groups.” Heron confirmed that the coalition of groups is currently reviewing all potential legal options and is highly likely to launch a judicial challenge against the Metropolitan Police over the decision.
The police ruling also follows a string of related controversial developments in the UK’s approach to alleged Israeli war crimes. Last month, The Guardian revealed that the UK Foreign Office had closed a specialized unit tasked with tracking potential violations of international law by Israeli forces in Gaza and Lebanon, a move implemented due to government funding cuts. Reports at the time confirmed that the head of the Met’s War Crimes Team had previously warned the Foreign Office that data from the unit was critical to supporting the police’s assessment of war crime allegations against British nationals.
Freedom of Information requests published last month by independent outlet Declassified UK also exposed that more than 2,000 British citizens have served in the Israeli military during Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
The decision comes amid a growing UK government crackdown on pro-Palestinian protest action. Just days after the Met’s war crime probe ruling, the force confirmed it is reviewing a potential ban on upcoming pro-Palestinian marches across London, following a stabbing attack that injured two Jewish men, aged 34 and 76, in Golders Green, a northwest London neighbourhood with a large Jewish community. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly backed potential bans over the weekend, stating that the chant “globalise the intifada” should be completely off-limits for public protest. On Friday, Starmer called the chant an example of “extreme racism” and called for criminal prosecution of anyone who uses it. It should be noted that there have been no recorded instances of antisemitic attacks in the UK linked to the use of this phrase, despite police forces in London and Greater Manchester announcing in December 2023 that they would arrest anyone chanting the phrase or displaying it on protest placards.
Since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, official Palestinian health data records more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks, including roughly 20,000 children. In April 2024, an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle operated by the humanitarian group World Central Kitchen in Gaza City killed seven aid workers, three of whom were former British service members. The family of James Kirby, one of the killed British aid workers, has repeatedly called for a full, independent public inquiry into his death. Two years after the strike, Kirby’s family says they have received only limited communication from the UK government and remain uncertain whether any full formal investigation is progressing. At the time of the attack, reporting from Middle East Eye noted that arms experts and human rights campaigners found the Elbit Hermes 450 drone used in the strike was powered by a British-manufactured engine.
Last November, the UK government officially confirmed that British soldiers had continued to train in Israel throughout the military campaign in Gaza, marking the first official admission of UK military personnel presence at Israeli military academies since the start of the war in October 2023. It is also well-documented that Royal Air Force aircraft have conducted regular surveillance flights over Gaza since the war began, despite widespread allegations of war crimes against Israeli forces.