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Alex Crawford, special correspondent
Jun 19
Amputations, badly burned bomb victims and lack of medicine: British surgeons on life in Gaza

They take their skills and medical experience into the most dangerous of environments, knowing they risk their own lives in their mission to save others. Yet they do this regardless. Warning: This article contains details and images that some readers may find distressing. The British doctors who we came to know and immensely respect at the centre of our report, Gaza: Doctors on the Frontline, don't see themselves as heroes or even remarkable for what they've done over the past few weeks in Gaza. That, of course, is what makes them even more remarkable. "This shouldn't be about us," Dr Tom Potokar scolded us more than once. "This should be about what's happening to the Palestinians and health workers inside Gaza." But like it or not, the daily video blogs the travelling doctors did about their experiences on the ground in Gaza resonated with viewers. They sent us searing accounts of their daily lives while in Gaza. They told us of having to stitch together mostly young broken bodies, torn apart by repeated Israeli bombs. They talked of having to perform amputations on the young, of trying to stem the pain and infections on badly burned bomb victims and of the lack of common medicines. They fumed at what they saw as political 'complicity' from the international community for not doing enough to end the war. They begged for aid to be allowed in. They spoke from the heart as humanitarians and doctors but also witnesses - and we saw them tired, frustrated, angry at times, maybe a little anxious, certainly emotional. And yet, all the time they realised how they were just visitors in Gaza while their patients, their medical co-workers and their colleagues' families were all living this permanently, with no escape while just trying to survive. Many do not. "What do you say to a seven-year-old who's lost both her legs," Dr Tom says in one heart-wrenching vlog. "Most of my patients are children," Dr Victoria Rose tells us in another. We see her fall in love with a badly burned toddler, so swathed in bandages, only his face was uncovered. "This is my favourite little guy," she says in her vlog about three-year-old Haitum, "he has 35% burns". "That's a lot for a little guy," she goes on. And the tens of thousands who watched her updates on social media platforms fell in love with the little boy too. Viewers see how Haitum was far from an exceptional case too. "My first three patients today were under 12," we learn from Dr Victoria in another post. Read more from Dr Victoria Rose: 'I felt I had to go back to help' The two surgeons were in small teams sent into the battlefield courtesy of the IDEALS charity, which funded their trip. Their limited time in the Gaza Strip turned out to be of an intensity which both recognised as unmatched before by either of them. They witnessed alongside their patients and fellow medics, daily and nightly bombings; gunfire; dwindling medical supplies and saw the dire lack of food. They treated tiny skeletal bodies desperate for sustenance - and helped mass evacuations of badly wounded patients from the fast-disappearing health facilities. 'No one is safe' "There just seems to be indiscriminate bombing," Dr Victoria says of the Israeli bombardment. "No one is safe - whether you're a woman, man, child or health worker. "But there seems to be a systematic pattern of attacking infrastructure, particularly around health provision." She goes on to cite how she's observed the Israeli attacks focus on taking out the hospital water supplies, then the power source, as well as declaring red zones or implementing evacuation orders around health facilities to make it difficult for patients to access the hospital and for staff to travel into work. The Israeli authorities have an alternative narrative - the Israeli Defence Forces claim they are carrying out "precision strikes", insist Hamas is using patients as human shields and say they've uncovered vast military command centres beneath hospitals - including the European Gaza. Conflicting accounts The doctors - equally insistently - say they've seen no arms in the hospitals and have seen no evidence of Hamas command centres or tunnels beneath. Dr Tom rang me while our team was on assignment in Somalia. "You won't have heard but the European Gaza Hospital has been bombed," he said, "I'll send you the videos". He shuns social media and has no accounts, but he's a veteran who's been travelling to Gaza for the past seven years, and he knew very well the importance of what he was witnessing on the ground and living through. He's extremely experienced and has travelled across the globe working in war zones like Cambodia and Lebanon, and is a former chief surgeon for the International Red Cross. He's also a burns specialist with his own international charity called Interburns. "If Cambodia was the killing fields, Gaza is the slaughterhouse," he says about his most recent time inside Gaza. Dr Victoria Rose is an NHS plastic surgeon based in London and was on her third trip to Gaza. She talks frankly of being motivated to go after helping to mentor Gaza surgeons who'd travelled to Britain to learn extra skills some years ago. "We saw them struggling in Gaza and I felt I just had to help," she explains. She videoed everything - unstintingly - and has her own Instagram handle @rosieplasticsurgeon. She teases Dr Tom - on camera of course - about his lack of digital awareness. "This is the man who calls it Facetube, aren't you Tom?" The two have very different approaches but mutual respect. And both realised their job in Gaza was twofold. They had to bear witness. They had to report. Running past huge craters They had to provide insight into what fellow Palestinian medics are up against in Gaza; how hospitals - protected under international law - are being affected, and how ordinary Gazan civilians are suffering. So, Dr Tom took us into the heart of the European Gaza Hospital minutes after Israeli forces dropped multiple bombs around the complex. We saw him racing through the car park outside the Emergency Department and past huge craters and rubble. He delivered commentary as he ran through the smoke-filled corridors to try to find his anaesthetist. He showed us the repeated bombings a day later - and the scramble to get injured patients out to safety. The two surgeons may be very different people. But both are highly regarded in their fields and have been brought together by a burning desire to help the wounded and injured in Gaza as well as their fellow medics on the frontline. They also both entered Gaza with the knowledge that foreign journalists are barred from the territory - and many of those inside have been killed or maimed - so it fell to them, the doctors, to be the witnesses during their stay in Gaza and beyond. "It's really not something I'm comfortable with," Dr Tom said. "For a start, it takes up a lot of time! But it's important people see what's going on here. "The question people should be asking is, why are foreign journalists being barred? What is it the Israelis do not want people to see?" Analysis: Jonathan Levy - Israel's block on international journalists in Gaza should not be allowed to stand Dr Victoria texted a lot about her fears that Nasser Hospital, where the two travelling teams finally end up, may face the same fate as the European Gaza - evacuated and now out of action. "We've got to keep on reminding people what's going on here because Nasser is the last functioning hospital in the south, and if it has to be evacuated, it will have tragic consequences for the civilians here. Hundreds will die," she says. The film is a graphic, often painful watch of human endurance, tragedy, pain and survival - told through the eyes of two exceptional and inspiring surgeons who felt their duty as doctors also meant they should lay bare what's happening inside the Gaza Strip - and what is still happening - while the world's focus has shifted elsewhere. Gaza: Doctors On The Frontline will air on Sky News at 9pm on 19 June

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Alix Culbertson, political reporter
Jun 19
Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci join call for Starmer to 'end UK complicity' in Gaza

Sky News can exclusively reveal the Bond actress, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Conclave actor are among a host of public figures who have added their names to the letter. At the end of May, Sky News revealed about 300 actors, bands, singers, activists and sportspeople signed the letter, organised by refugee charity Choose Love, calling on Sir Keir to suspend all UK arms sales and licences to Israel. Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker were among the celebrities to also urge the PM to use all available means to ensure full humanitarian access and broker an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Celebrities and activists also read out all the names of children killed in Gaza in front of parliament. But three weeks later, they say nothing has changed. Other new signatories include actors Florence Pugh and Russell Tovey, Dr Who star Ncuti Gatwa, singer Paolo Nutini, author Michael Rosen, musician Paul Weller, Little Mix members Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, broadcaster Fearne Cotton, Game of Thrones actress Carice van Houten, Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright and ex-England rugby captain Chris Robshaw. The letter urges Sir Keir to "take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors of Gaza", and says children are starving "while food and medicine sit just minutes away", in reference to Israel blocking aid into the territory. It says 71,000 children under four are "acutely malnourished" and those who survive starvation "wake up to bombs falling on them", with more than 15,000 children killed in the conflict so far. Read more:Israeli tanks kill 51 people waiting for aid in GazaBodies of Israeli couple taken into Gaza by Hamas recovered "Violence stamped with UK inaction - flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel - could be obliterating families in seconds," the letter adds. "You can't call it 'intolerable', yet do nothing. "Every moment this continues, is another moment children die on our watch. "History is written in moments of moral clarity. This is one. The world is watching and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. "Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?" What has Starmer said and done about Gaza? In September, the UK suspended about 30 arms export licences to Israel, but government export licensing figures from May show the UK approved licences for £127.6m worth of military equipment from October to December 2024 - more than the total between 2020 and 2023. Since the first letter was sent, Sir Keir has called Israel's actions in Gaza - both the blockade of aid and strikes - "appalling and intolerable". Some of his own MPs are pressuring him to take further action against Israel and call the 20-month war - which started when Hamas killed 1,195 people in Israel and took 250 hostage - a genocide, but he has not used those words. On 10 June, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian civilians". They are banned from entering the UK and are now subject to a freeze on UK assets and director disqualifications. Last week, Sir Keir said more RAF jets, including Typhoons and air-to-air refuelers, were being sent to the Middle East after Israel and Iran attacked each other. On Tuesday, Sir Keir told Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby he is "worried about the impact" escalation between the two countries will have on Gaza. Josie Naughton, co-founder and CEO of Choose Love, said: "Since we urged the government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call. We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved. "It took us 18 hours to read the 15,613 names of children known to be killed in Gaza. Every single one of them was someone's whole universe. Every one of them deserved better. "The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough. "History will remember how we acted in this moment. We beg Keir Starmer to end the UK's complicity in these horrors." A government spokesperson said: "We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. "The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law." The spokesperson added: "Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. "We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace."

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No Writer
Jun 19
If Trump strikes, what will Starmer do?

On this episode - what advice is Sir Keir Starmer getting over Britain's potential involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict? There are reports the Attorney General's legal advice to the PM is to limit what it does to protect its allies from attack - Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy discuss the implications of that. Plus, we hear Foreign Secretary David Lammy will get a meeting with his Iranian counterpart as part of a diplomatic push to prevent war. Foreign ministers from Germany and France will also join the talks in Geneva.

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No Writer
Jun 19
Jarell Quansah: Bayer Leverkusen in talks to sign Liverpool defender with Florian Wirtz flying in to seal £100m Reds move

Active negotiations are ongoing for Quansah to move to the BayArenA, although that deal would be a separate one from the Wirtz transfer, if it is completed. Sky Sports News previously reported Leverkusen's interest in Quansah as the Wirtz move began to progress. Transfer Centre LIVE! | Liverpool news and transfer latestLiverpool fixtures: Reds start vs Bournemouth, host Arsenal in third gameNot got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season Quansah - who has been in contention for a senior England cap in recent months - signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool last October. Wirtz flying to Liverpool to complete £100m move Leverkusen playmaker Wirtz is due on Merseyside on Thursday to finalise his big-money transfer to Liverpool. He landed in the UK late afternoon on Thursday. The Germany international, 22, is set to undergo a medical on Friday. Wirtz has been on his post-season holiday while Leverkusen and Liverpool tie up a deal that could reach a British-record fee of £116.5m. The player is set to sign a five-year contract on a minimum salary of £195,000 per week, which could become £245,000 per week with bonuses. Wirtz only wanted to join Liverpool during this window, Sky Sports News understands, and not for the money. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot's tactical plan for the playmaker is said to be one of the key reasons he has chosen to move to Anfield. Nunez open to joining Napoli Latest news from Sky in Italy reporter Gianluca Di Marzio: Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is believed to be open to a move to Napoli this summer. The Serie A champions have begun work towards a deal for the Uruguay international, but are not willing to pay Liverpool's valuation of £59.8m (€70m). It is understood the Premier League champions will listen to offers for Nunez this summer. The forward, who scored just seven goals in all competitions last season, including five in the Premier League as Liverpool won the title, has had interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia, but has previously preferred the idea of moving to Spain. Liverpool are targeting a new striker themselves for next season. Quansah wants 'to take the next step' in his career - this move could suit both parties Analysis by Sky Sports' Richard Morgan: The news that Bayer Leverkusen are in talks to sign Quansah will no doubt leave Reds supporters with mixed feelings. Quansah has blossomed since spending a six-month loan spell at League One Bristol Rovers in the second half of the 2022-23 season. The 22-year-old made his debut under previous manager Jurgen Klopp the following campaign, making 33 appearances in all competitions, including 16 in the Premier League, playing a key role as Liverpool challenged on all four fronts deep into that campaign. The England U21 international was on the Wembley pitch when the Reds beat Chelsea to win that season's Carabao Cup, even being named as a provisional member of Gareth Southgate's expanded Euro 2024 squad, before eventually being omitted. However, the defender only played in 25 games in total, 13 of which were in the league, as Slot's side won the title last season, with the new Reds head coach preferring to go with Ibrahima Konate instead as Virgil van Dijk's centre-back partner - despite the Dutchman actually picking the Warrington-born player for the top-flight opener at Ipswich Town. Quansah, who only signed a new five-year Reds deal last October, recently suggested he may need to leave Anfield to progress his career. "I'm in a very good position to take the next step and it just comes with working hard and staying focused on what I can control," he said while on England duty at the European U21 championship. And with Liverpool looking set to spend big in this summer's transfer window, having already signed Jeremie Frimpong, with more arrivals set to follow - owners Fenway Sports Group may now need to balance the books. Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from next season From next season, Sky Sports' Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live. And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games next season are on Sky Sports.

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Amelia Harper, home news correspondent
Jun 19
Zhenhao Zou: Student who drugged and raped 10 women in London and China jailed for life

Warning: This article contains details of sexual offences Zhenhao Zou, 28, was convicted of multiple sexual assaults on women in the UK and China in March, where he used drugs to incapacitate his victims before raping them. The trial at Inner London Crown Court heard how he used the drug butanediol to render his victims unconscious, and how he used hidden cameras to record nine of his assaults. Jurors found him guilty of 11 counts of rape against 10 women between 2019 and 2023. Three of these women were raped in London and seven in China. Zou was sentenced to 24 years in prison, but because of time served, he will serve at least 22 years and 227 days before being eligible for parole in 2048. Sentencing Zou at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Rosina Cottage told him he was a "very bright man" who used a manipulative "charming mask" to hide that he is a "sexual predator". The judge said Zou "planned and executed a campaign of rape", which had "devastating and long-term effects" on his victims. She told Zou he treated the women, who were "pieces in an elaborate game" for the defendant, "callously" and as "sex toys" for his own pleasure, adding he has a "sexual interest" in "asserting power and control over women" and has "no understanding of the meaning of consent". Only two of his victims were identified during the trial. Since Zou's conviction, police have now identified one of the other victims involved in this case. The prosecution said Zou embarked on a "campaign of offending of the utmost gravity". He targeted young Chinese women, inviting them to his flat for drinks or to study before he drugged and assaulted them. Zou used hidden cameras or his mobile phone to record the attacks, keeping the footage and sometimes the women's belongings as souvenirs. Officers discovered nearly 1,300 videos in one of the biggest cases the Met's digital forensics lab has ever dealt with. The rape material the jury had to watch was so graphic that jurors have been excused from jury service for two decades. During the sentencing hearing, the victim impact statements of three women were read out. The first said she'd woken up to find the former PhD student raping her in 2021. She said it happened while "unconscious" after being out drinking for four or five hours with friends in London's Chinatown. The woman said: "That moment will clearly stay in my mind forever. As a result, I now experience severe physical and psychological distress. The memories trigger migraines, physical pain in the places he violated, and an overwhelming urge to scrub myself clean. "To this day, I struggle to trust anyone. I avoid new friendships, trapped in the aftermath of what he did." The second victim was raped while "drunk and unconscious" at Zou's flat in London's Elephant and Castle in May 2023. Zou filmed the attack and took intimate images without her knowledge using a small camera by the bed. "No matter what I did, I could not sleep; whenever I closed my eyes, the events of what happened to me kept replaying in my mind," she said in her statement, outlining her "mental agony and pain". "I am not sure anything will help what I have gone through. The only thing I want him to know is that if he does this again, I will do everything in my power to send him back to prison." The third woman was unidentified during the trial until she came forward as part of the police appeal. This woman was raped at an unknown location in China, and Zou filmed her rape while she was unconscious. She told the court: "When I recently saw that face again in the news reports, my trembling body reacted faster than my conscious mind. Now insomnia and anxiety rage anew. "Reliving this feels like I'm being forced to watch my past self endure repeated violations." Zou is currently at the heart of the UK's largest rape investigation. Following Zou's conviction, investigators shared that they believed Zou's offending was on a much larger scale than the 11 rape convictions. Metropolitan Police detectives believe Zou could be the "most substantial and prolific offender we've come across in recent times". Officers believe more than 50 other women could also be victims of Zou, which would make him one of the worst sex offenders the UK has ever seen. Investigators have further video material showing unidentified women being attacked, and police believe around 25 of those incidents happened in the UK and 25 in China. An international appeal was launched for these women to come forward, resulting in 24 reporting they may have been raped by Zou. It's understood that some of these women form part of the 50 additional women that police say have also been targeted by the former University College London student. Police are particularly keen to hear from women from the Chinese student community who may have met Zou and were living in and around London between 2019 and 2024. Following the sentencing, the Metropolitan Police said the reports made by 24 women "continue to be investigated thoroughly by a dedicated team of officers" and the force "will continue to liaise with the Crown Prosecution Service around potential future charges". "The lengthy sentence reflects justice for the women who are victim-survivors of Zou and is testament to the extraordinary lengths gone to by investigators, who left no stone unturned in their pursuit to take a dangerous sexual predator off the streets," Met Police said in a statement. Commander Kevin Southworth said: "First and foremost, our thoughts have always been with the courageous victim-survivors of Zou's heinous and predatory crimes." He added: "I hope the fact Zou can no longer harm others serves as a small amount of comfort to the women who have suffered immeasurably." Saira Pike, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Zou "is a serial rapist and a danger to women", adding that his life sentence was reflecting "the heinous acts and harm he caused to women and the danger he posed to society". Zou first moved to Belfast in 2017 to study mechanical engineering at Queen's University before moving to London in 2019. Read more:How student was unmasked as prolific sexual predatorMore than 20 new potential victims come forward He then studied for a Master's degree at University College London from 2019 to 2021, followed by a PhD at the same university from 2021. Police say "investigators have not received any reports from women who met Zou while he was living in Belfast but remain in contact with Police Service Northern Ireland", but that anyone with concerns should come forward.

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Gemma Peplow, culture and entertainment reporter
Jun 18
Kneecap rapper appears in court on terror charge - as protesters gather outside

Liam O'Hanna, or Liam Og O hAnnaidh, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year. The charge against the 27-year-old, from Belfast, was brought last month after counter-terror officers assessed a video reported to be from a Kneecap concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on 21 November 2024. O hAnnaidh arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain and JJ O Dochartaigh, as a crowd of fans and supporters gathered with placards and flags outside. During a short appearance, O hAnnaidh confirmed his name and address, and was released on unconditional bail until his next hearing, scheduled for 20 August. Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court: "This case is not about Mr hAnnaidh's support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel." O hAnnaidh is "well within his rights" to express his support and solidarity for Palestinians, he said, adding that the case is about the display of a flag apparently in support of Hezbollah. "Support for one is not the same as support for the other," Mr Bisgrove added. Kneecap have previously said they have never supported Hezbollah or Hamas - another proscribed group in the UK. O'hAnnaidh received a round of applause outside the courtroom and left the building with his bandmates to loud cheers and chants of "Free Palestine" from supporters. Speaking afterwards, one of the band's lawyers said Kneecap would always "stand up for freedom of expression". He added: "They will defend not only their rights, but the rights of artists and people all around the world." Kneecap released their first single in 2017 and rose to wider prominence in 2024 following the release of their debut album and award-winning eponymous film - a fictionalised retelling of how the band came together and their fight to save the Irish language. The group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise - and have been vocally opposed to Israel's military action in Gaza. O hAnnaidh performs under the stage name Mo Chara, while O Caireallain is known as Moglai Bap, and O Dochartaigh as DJ Provai. They have built a following for their hedonistic anti-establishment tracks, but their outspoken stance has proved polarising - prompting a surge in streaming for their songs and, at the same time, resulting in several of their gigs being cancelled this year. Last year, they won a discrimination case against the UK government after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was business secretary.

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Alix Culbertson, political reporter
Jun 19
Judi Dench, Malala and Stanley Tucci join call for Starmer to 'end UK complicity' in Gaza

Sky News can exclusively reveal the Bond actress, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Conclave actor are among a host of public figures who have added their names to the letter. At the end of May, Sky News revealed about 300 actors, bands, singers, activists and sportspeople signed the letter, organised by refugee charity Choose Love, calling on Sir Keir to suspend all UK arms sales and licences to Israel. Dua Lipa, Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Lineker were among the celebrities to also urge the PM to use all available means to ensure full humanitarian access and broker an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Celebrities and activists also read out all the names of children killed in Gaza in front of parliament. But three weeks later, they say nothing has changed. Other new signatories include actors Florence Pugh and Russell Tovey, Dr Who star Ncuti Gatwa, singer Paolo Nutini, author Michael Rosen, musician Paul Weller, Little Mix members Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Jade Thirlwall, broadcaster Fearne Cotton, Game of Thrones actress Carice van Houten, Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright and ex-England rugby captain Chris Robshaw. The letter urges Sir Keir to "take immediate action to end the UK's complicity in the horrors of Gaza", and says children are starving "while food and medicine sit just minutes away", in reference to Israel blocking aid into the territory. It says 71,000 children under four are "acutely malnourished" and those who survive starvation "wake up to bombs falling on them", with more than 15,000 children killed in the conflict so far. Read more:Israeli tanks kill 51 people waiting for aid in GazaBodies of Israeli couple taken into Gaza by Hamas recovered "Violence stamped with UK inaction - flown with parts shipped from British factories to Israel - could be obliterating families in seconds," the letter adds. "You can't call it 'intolerable', yet do nothing. "Every moment this continues, is another moment children die on our watch. "History is written in moments of moral clarity. This is one. The world is watching and history will not forget. The children of Gaza cannot wait another minute. "Prime minister, what will you choose? Complicity in war crimes, or the courage to act?" What has Starmer said and done about Gaza? In September, the UK suspended about 30 arms export licences to Israel, but government export licensing figures from May show the UK approved licences for £127.6m worth of military equipment from October to December 2024 - more than the total between 2020 and 2023. Since the first letter was sent, Sir Keir has called Israel's actions in Gaza - both the blockade of aid and strikes - "appalling and intolerable". Some of his own MPs are pressuring him to take further action against Israel and call the 20-month war - which started when Hamas killed 1,195 people in Israel and took 250 hostage - a genocide, but he has not used those words. On 10 June, the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway sanctioned far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich over "repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian civilians". They are banned from entering the UK and are now subject to a freeze on UK assets and director disqualifications. Last week, Sir Keir said more RAF jets, including Typhoons and air-to-air refuelers, were being sent to the Middle East after Israel and Iran attacked each other. On Tuesday, Sir Keir told Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby he is "worried about the impact" escalation between the two countries will have on Gaza. Josie Naughton, co-founder and CEO of Choose Love, said: "Since we urged the government to end its complicity in the horrors of Gaza, more people have added their voice to our call. We cannot be silent while children are being killed and families are being starved. "It took us 18 hours to read the 15,613 names of children known to be killed in Gaza. Every single one of them was someone's whole universe. Every one of them deserved better. "The situation is changing by the second, but until the UK government has halted all arms sales and licences to Israel, ensured that humanitarian aid can reach people starving inside Gaza and stopped the killing, they will not have done enough. "History will remember how we acted in this moment. We beg Keir Starmer to end the UK's complicity in these horrors." A government spokesperson said: "We strongly oppose the expansion of military operations in Gaza and call on the Israeli government to cease its offensive and immediately allow for unfettered access to humanitarian aid. "The denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law." The spokesperson added: "Last year, we suspended export licences to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza and continue to refuse licences for military goods that could be used by Israel in the current conflict. "We urge all parties to urgently agree a ceasefire agreement and work towards a permanent and sustainable peace."

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Michael Cantillon
Jun 19
British and Irish Lions: Fin Smith and Marcus Smith start vs Argentina in Dublin as Maro Itoje captains for first time

Maro Itoje will captain the side for the first time as Andy Farrell's charges face the Pumas in the Irish capital - the first match the Lions have played in Ireland - ahead of travelling to Australia for the rest of their summer tour. Fin and Marcus Smith and Itoje are three of nine English players named in the starting XV, with three Irish, two Scottish and one Welshman - Jac Morgan - included. Will Greenwood: The last uncapped Lions bolter - 'Pollock has to smash people'Owen Farrell: I'm not retired from England - all Lions chat hypotheticalLawrence Dallaglio: I played to honour my sister - it led to unforgettable Lions memoriesStream the British and Irish Lions tour with NOW Northampton Saints flanker Henry Pollock features among the replacements, while Leinster and Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher, who is also on the bench, is the only player involved who played in last weekend's domestic finals. Tommy Freeman and Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe will combine with Marcus Smith in the back-three, while impactful centres Sione Tuipulotu of Scotland and Bundee Aki of Ireland are surprisingly paired from the start - both ordinarily inside-centre options - as Huw Jones misses out on the squad. Scrum-half Alex Mitchell partners Northampton and Test colleague Fin Smith at half-back, with English duo Ellis Genge and Luke Cowan-Dickie combining with Ireland's Finlay Bealham to form the front-row. Tadhg Beirne partners Itoje in the second-row, while the starting back-row consists of Tom Curry at blindside flanker, Morgan at openside and Ben Earl at No 8. Tadhg Furlong has shaken off a calf complaint to begin among the replacements, with Elliot Daly and Mack Hansen providing backline cover. 'That's how it should be' - Farrell insists Lions Test spots up for grabs As many as 14 players could make their Lions debuts before the squad departs for Australia on Saturday and Farrell has demanded they make an immediate impact if they want a shot at facing the Wallabies. "I did an exercise a couple of weeks ago, and I've done it about five times since, of choosing what the Test side could be," the head coach said. "You actually can't even go there because there's such good competition and that's how it should be. "The exciting thing about Friday night is these guys get to show the team-mates who are sat in the stand what they're all about. "We are looking for cohesion, connection and an ability to attack the game from the off. "You can give yourself any excuse as far as time together is concerned, but we've had good prep and if you want to be a good Lions player you've got to hit your straps straight from the off." British and Irish Lions squad to face Argentina in Dublin on Friday - live on Sky Sports British and Irish Lions: 15 Marcus Smith, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Sione Tuipulotu, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell; 1 Ellis Genge, 2 Luke Cowan Dickie, 3 Finlay Bealham, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 6 Tom Curry, 7 Jac Morgan, 8 Ben Earl. Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Henry Pollock, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Elliot Daly, 23 Mack Hansen. Argentina: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Rodrigo Isgro, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Justo Piccardo, 11 Ignacio Mendy, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Gonzalo Garcia; 1 Mayco Vivas, 2 Julian Montoya (c), 3 Joel Sclavi, 4 Franco Molina, 5 Pedro Rubiolo, 6 Pablo Matera, 7 Juan Martin Gonzalez, 8 Joaquin Oviedo. Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Boris Wenger, 18 Francisco Coria Marchetti, 19 Santiago Grondona, 20 Joaquin Moro, 21 Simon Benitez Cruz, 22 Matias Moroni, 23 Santiago Cordero. British & Irish Lions tour of Australia on Sky Sports Sky Sports will exclusively show the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour of Australia, with all three Tests against the Wallabies and six warm-up matches to be shown exclusively live.

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