The conflict in the Gaza Strip has been going on for almost two years, and according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, by the end of September 2025, the death toll had exceeded 66,000, while an additional 400 had died from malnutrition. Israeli military attacks, both from the air and from the ground, have caused enormous damage to hospitals, schools, shelters, and have also hit facilities of the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations.
Since the beginning of 2025, the US administration has sent Israel weapons worth almost $13 billion. After a brief ceasefire that lasted from January to March, Israeli forces launched a new major offensive in May, called Operation Gideon's Chariot. In August of the same year, the government in Tel Aviv approved a plan to capture Gaza, and the ground operation began in September.
These decisions provoked strong reactions from the international community. Several Western countries and the European Union condemned the plan, claiming that it violates international humanitarian law. As of October 2023, nineteen countries have recognized Palestine, including the United Kingdom and France, and now at least 151 UN members recognize it as a state, according to the Swedish Peace Institute.
In September 2025, an independent UN commission concluded that the Israeli authorities and military are carrying out genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are accused of inciting genocide. The commission recommended that member states immediately cut off arms, equipment and fuel supplies to Israel.
Most of the weapons came from the United States, including aircraft, armored vehicles, missiles and anti-aircraft systems. Germany was the second most important supplier, mainly of frigates and torpedoes, but in August 2025 it suspended exports that could be used in Gaza. Italy contributed a smaller portion, mostly helicopters and cannons, while Great Britain only sent components for systems like the F-35. France and Spain have introduced restrictive policies from 2023, and Spain has banned all new contracts, including the cancellation of existing ones.