Israel considers expelling UK officials from Gaza coordination centre amid sanctions row

Israel is considering expelling British officials from the American-led coordination centre for post-war Gaza, in response to threatened sanctions from Andy Burnham’s government over West Bank settlement trade.

A Financial Times report indicates that the Israeli government has spent recent weeks debating whether to remove the United Kingdom from the International Gaza Support Centre (IGSC), which operates out of a multinational headquarters in Kiryat Gat.

Sources told Jewish News last week that Israel has compiled a list of possible retaliatory measures against the UK.

It is understood that amongst these options is the expulsion of officials from the UK, Germany, and Italy.

The UK maintains the second-largest delegation at the IGSC and currently holds the deputy commander role under the US general leading the centre.

The IGSC serves as the primary intermediary between global aid agencies, the IDF, and 50 participating nations.

Expelling a key Western coordinator could create logistical bottlenecks, slow humanitarian aid delivery, and hamper monitoring of truce compliance.

Last September, Israel threatened a strong response after the UK government recognised the State of Palestine, but ultimately chose not to act.

However, Jewish News understands that Israel is highly unlikely to hold back if Burnham’s government moves forward with new trade sanctions next month.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has already ordered the expulsion of Dutch representatives from the IGSC this week, after the Netherlands banned imports of products from Israeli settlements.

This follows the earlier removal of Spanish officials for similar reasons.

The IGSC was established as a civil-military hub to monitor the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Led by US military officers and staffed by a small multinational contingent—including around 200 US troops—the centre operates inside Israel, not within the Gaza Strip itself.

If the UK, along with Germany and Italy, follows Spain and the Netherlands in being expelled, the United States would be left as the primary Western power at the centre.

With diplomatic relations between the UK and Israel deteriorating, some fear that such expulsions could prompt the UK and the European Union to impose harsher economic and political measures.

Israel has already faced sharp criticism from around 30 nations, many of them traditional allies, after publishing construction tenders for the controversial E1 settlement project.

A further round of coordinated sanctions from these countries in response to settlement expansion could have a severe economic impact on Israel.