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Dua Lipa and Benedict Cumberbatch among 300 figures demanding Gaza ceasefire

More than 300 actors, musicians, and activists, including Dua Lipa, have signed an open letter urging Sir Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza
More than 300 actors, musicians, and activists, including Dua Lipa, have signed an open letter urging Sir Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza (Getty Images for The Rock and Ro)
  • More than 300 actors, musicians, and activists, including Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker, and Benedict Cumberbatch, have signed an open letter urging Sir Keir Starmer to suspend arms sales to Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
  • The signatories are calling on the Prime Minister to take immediate action to end the UK’s complicity in the horrors in Gaza, ensure humanitarian aid gets into the territory, and broker an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
  • Josie Naughton, founder of the charity Choose Love, which organised the letter, stressed the need for action from Keir Starmer, including stopping arms sales and ensuring humanitarian organisations can reach people in Gaza.
  • The letter follows Tel Aviv’s decision to renew its military offensive in Gaza, with UK ministers condemning the decision, suspending trade talks with Israel, sanctioning West Bank settlers, and summoning the country’s ambassador.
  • The UK government has stated it opposes the expansion of military operations in Gaza, calling on Israel to cease its offensive and allow unfettered access to humanitarian aid, while also noting that it has already suspended some export licenses to Israel for items used in military operations in Gaza.
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