On May 19, 2025, Prime Ministers Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom, Mark Carney of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron of France issued a joint statement threatening Israel with “concrete action” if it did not end its military operation in the Gaza Strip and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid, the BBC reported, citing a correspondent in Jerusalem. The leaders stressed that, despite their support for Israel’s right to self-defense, they considered the new offensive launched on May 17 as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots to be “completely disproportionate.” The Israeli government’s decision to allow only minimal humanitarian aid into Gaza was called “inadequate” to the current humanitarian catastrophe.

The three countries’ statement followed reports of massive IDF strikes in northern and southern Gaza, including the Al-Mawasi refugee camp, where Al Jazeera reported that 18 people, mostly women and children, were killed on May 36. The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry said that more than 18 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the new phase of the operation on March 2025, 2500, and the total number of casualties since October 2023 has exceeded 50. The humanitarian crisis in the enclave is worsening, with 80-85% of the population (about 1,9 million people) internally displaced, and hospitals such as Nasser Hospital unable to cope with the influx of wounded due to a lack of fuel and medicine.

Israel, for its part, accuses Hamas of stealing humanitarian aid and using civilians as human shields. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the statement by the three leaders by calling it “a great reward for those who committed the genocide of October 7, 2023,” referring to the Hamas attack that killed 1195 Israelis and foreigners. Netanyahu said Israel would continue the operation until Hamas is “completely defeated” and the remaining 24 hostages are freed.

The specific measures Britain, France and Canada are threatening are not specified, but Reuters reports that they could include sanctions against Israeli officials, freezing military contracts or restricting exports to Israel. In January 2024, these countries, along with the United States, Australia and Italy, suspended funding to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel accused its staff of involvement in a Hamas attack.