Gaza: Thousands rally in London demanding arms embargo from incoming PM Andy Burnham

Herz — World Desk · 18 July 2026 at 21:48 · 30s summary · 2 min read

What we know

Thousands of protesters marched through London on 18 July 2026 to demonstrate against Israel's war in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera. They called on Andy Burnham, leader of the Labour Party and soon-to-be Prime Minister, to impose an arms embargo on weapons supplied to Israel and pressure Tel Aviv to end the siege and war against Gaza.

Andy Burnham is set to officially take office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Monday, 20 July 2026.

Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, led the protesters on the march. He subsequently posted on X that the movement for justice "is becoming stronger and stronger".

the movement for justice is becoming stronger and stronger

— Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, on X

Jeremy Corbyn, former Labour leader expelled from the party by outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, also participated in the march. He called on Burnham to end British "complicity in genocide".

Context

Keir Starmer's government continued supplying weapons to Israel despite mounting evidence of war crimes. It has been accused of taking only symbolic measures, such as sanctioning Israeli far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

Over 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

Burnham also inherits significant domestic challenges: a cost-of-living crisis, spiralling student debt, a shortage of affordable housing, and an exodus of Labour Party members due to insufficient handling of the Gaza issue.

What remains uncertain

The specific position Andy Burnham will take on an arms embargo and Britain's policy towards Israel following his appointment on 20 July 2026 remains unknown.