Ministers have been accused of misleading parliament over arms exports to Israel, as research shows the UK has sent bullets, tanks, and rocket launchers since October 2023.

Data from the Israel Tax Authority shows that UK exports to Israel include a shipment of 150,000 bullets in October 2023 and over 8,000 individual munitions since the government’s partial suspension of export licenses in September 2024.

The data also shows six shipments of 299 items classified as “tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, motorised, whether or not fitted with weapons, and parts of such vehicles” and two shipments classified as “rocket launchers; flame throwers; grenade launchers; torpedo tubes and similar projectors”.

As Israel’s onslaught on Gaza continues, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has downplayed the scale and nature of British assistance.

However, the UK has exported thousands of munitions to Israel since October 2023, much of which would appear to be described as arms, according to researchers from Palestinian Youth Movement, the Progressive International, and Workers for a Free Palestine.

From 2023 to 2025, 13 consignments arrived at Ben Gurion Airport, while one large shipment – worth almost £125,000 – arrived at the port city of Haifa.

The data will also lead to calls for more transparency over arms exports, as Israeli customs codes do not always distinguish between civilian and military products.

The government’s ban on weapons exports to Israel controversially included an exemption for components for F-35 jets, which have been used to bomb civilians in Gaza. The data also raises questions about the effectiveness of existing bans on exports to Israel.

On Monday, 12 May, the government will be in the high court facing legal action challenging its weapons exports to Israel. Activists are expected to take to the streets in protest in London on Friday 9th May.