Poll shows most British people in favour of ceasefire in Gaza and arms suspension to Israel

A new YouGov poll has revealed that the majority of Britons are in favour of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and would support the UK ending its arms sales to Israel over the war on Gaza.

The poll was commissioned by Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and the Council for Arab-British Understanding (Caabu).

The survey also found that 55 percent of people support the UK ending arms sales to Israel during the ongoing war on Gaza.

Forty percent of those who voted for the Conservative Party in 2019 favour the suspension, while 74 percent of Labour supporters were also in favour.

The charities say these results reinforce the previous polls they conducted in March and April, and the support for suspending arms sales is "durable".

April's poll revealed a majority of 56 percent are in favour of a ban on the export of arms and spare parts, while 59 percent say Israel is violating human rights in Gaza.

"What this and earlier polls continue to demonstrate is that the government and the Labour leadership continue to lag sluggishly behind British public opinion by failing to take the decisive actions needed to help bring the horrors we see in Gaza to a swift end a trend also highlighted in polls across Europe," said Cabbu Director Chris Doyle.

"[T]here is little confidence in the leadership of both the main parties in the handling of this major international crisis," he added.

The UK has been facing strong calls to end its arms supplies to Israel, especially after the killing of three British aid workers by in Israeli airstrike in Gaza, where it is suspected that British-suppled weapons are used.

The UK's Foreign Minister David Cameron concluded that the British government could continue sending weapons to Israel despite pressure over charges of humanitarian violations in Gaza.

At the same time, 73 percent support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, this includes 67% of those who voted Conservative in 2019 and 86 percent among Labour voters.

Many Labour supporters have been angered by Starmer's defence of Israel's war and failure to call for an outright ceasefire from the beginning of the war 🔽https://t.co/aDS3AFdKOa

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 5, 2024

"The feeling among the British public reaffirms the demands of humanitarians: UK leaders must do more to end the killing in Gaza, including halting arms sales so they cannot be used in further violations of international law," Rohan Talbot, MAP's Director of Advocacy and Campaigns, said.

Despite continuing the flow of arms, the UK did vote yes on the need for an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza to protect civilians at the UN Security Council vote.

Israel's war on Gaza has so far killed 35,303 civilians and injured 79,261 since 7 October.