London (QNN)- The Metropolitan Police will not open an investigation into ten British nationals, who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity while serving with the Israeli military in Gaza, despite a detailed legal dossier and months of pressure from human rights experts, reported Novara Media.
The decision follows a 240-page report submitted to the Met’s War Crimes Team in April 2025 by legal specialists working with the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and the Public Interest Law Centre. The report documented crimes committed in Gaza between October 2023 and May 2024 and included reports of attacks on civilians, hospitals, schools, aid workers, and cultural and religious sites.
According to the submission, ten British nationals, including dual citizens, took part in the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Legal teams argued that the material showed credible grounds for a full criminal investigation under international law.
However, the Metropolitan Police confirmed it will not proceed further. A spokesperson said specialist officers within Counter Terrorism Policing reviewed the dossier under joint police and Crown Prosecution Service guidelines and decided not to launch an investigation.
Human rights groups and legal experts strongly criticized the decision. More than 70 lawyers and rights advocates had signed a letter urging police action, warning that failure to investigate could create a serious accountability gap for international crimes involving British nationals.
Human rights barrister Michael Mansfield KC, who helped deliver the dossier, described the decision as “shocking” and “a license for people to get away with murder.” He said the police delay suggested they had no intention of investigating from the start and called the outcome “an insult to the rule of law.”
The Public Interest Law Centre also rejected the police position. Solicitor Paul Heron said the Met applied the wrong legal threshold by demanding evidence equivalent to a conviction before even opening an investigation. He argued that investigations exist to gather evidence, not to pre-judge it.
Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, said the Met is practicing selective enforcement. He said the refusal sends a message that the UK is shielding its own nationals from accountability despite involvement in serious international crimes.
Recent reporting has highlighted the closure of a Foreign Office unit tracking potential violations of international law, as well as claims that more than 2,000 British nationals with dual citizenship have served in the Israeli military during the genocide.
The Israeli genocide in Gaza has killed at least 72,000 Palestinians since October 2023, including around 20,000 children.
