The Gaza Tribunal: Inquiry into British Complicity

A two-day UK tribunal at Church House, Westminster, held after a bill for an official inquiry stalled. It concluded that the British government failed its obligation to prevent genocide.

Convened by

The Peace & Justice Project, founded by Jeremy Corbyn MP.

Panel

Jeremy Corbyn MP, Dr Shahd Hammouri and Professor Neve Gordon.

Question

What has happened in Gaza, what Britain's legal responsibilities are, what Britain's role has been (including arms supply, surveillance flights and the use of RAF bases), and whether Britain has met its legal obligations.

Legal status

A civil-society inquiry with no statutory powers. Its conclusions are those of its panel and publisher, not of any court or official body.

Website

thegazatribunal.uk

• #peoples-tribunal
• #israel-palestine
• #uk
• #inquiries
• #london

What it found

As stated by the tribunal itself. These are its findings, not a court's, and not ours.

• The report concludes that the British government "failed in its fundamental obligation to prevent genocide" and has been complicit in atrocity crimes, and says evidence suggests it was in some instances an active participant.
• It says it will draw the evidence to the attention of UK lawyers, the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, and calls for a full, official, independent public inquiry.

The nuance

Why a tribunal and not an inquiry: under the Inquiries Act 2005 only a Minister can establish a statutory public inquiry, with powers to compel evidence. A citizens' tribunal has none of those powers.

The tribunal's website says the government rejected Corbyn's inquiry bill at second reading on 4 July. Parliament's bill record shows a first reading on 4 June 2025 and no second-reading sitting for that bill; a new bill was introduced in June 2026.

Not the same body as the international Gaza Tribunal presided over by Richard Falk.

Timeline

1. JUN 2025Jeremy Corbyn's Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill has its first reading in the Commons.
   Sources: Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill (2024–26 session)
2. SEP 2025The tribunal sits for two days at Church House, Westminster, hearing survivors, medics, aid workers, journalists and legal experts.
   Sources: The Gaza Tribunal: An inquiry into Britain's role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza — Report
3. MAR 2026Report published.
   Sources: The Gaza Tribunal: An inquiry into Britain's role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza — Report
4. JUN 2026A new Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill has its first reading; second reading is listed for 4 December 2026.
   Sources: Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill (2026 session)

Related tribunals

• The Gaza Tribunal (international) — An international people's tribunal that sat in Sarajevo and Istanbul and whose Jury of Conscience delivered a moral judgment that Israel committed genocide in Gaza.

Primary sources

• The Gaza Tribunal: An inquiry into Britain's role in Israeli war crimes in Gaza — Report — Report of the two-day tribunal held at Church House, Westminster on 4–5 September 2025, with conclusions and recommendations.
• The Gaza Tribunal: Inquiry into British Complicity — The tribunal's own website, including its account of why it was held.
• Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill (2024–26 session) — Private member's bill sponsored by Jeremy Corbyn. Parliament's record shows first reading on 4 June 2025 and no second reading sitting.
• Gaza (Independent Public Inquiry) Bill (2026 session) — Reintroduced bill sponsored by Jeremy Corbyn: first reading 22 June 2026; second reading listed for 4 December 2026.
• Inquiries Act 2005, section 1 — Power to establish inquiry — Only a Minister may cause a statutory public inquiry to be held.

Checked 2026-10-15 · JSON · source file · change history