The US ambassador to Israel has accused the Labour government of “Jew hate” after Ed Miliband said vital medicines on their way to Gaza were being blocked.
The outburst came after the foreign secretary posted a video in which he described what he had been told by people working inside the enclave.
“Frankly, it was horrific, what is unfolding,” Mr Miliband said. “The stories that people were telling me of medicines being blocked [and] children dying while waiting for vital life-saving treatment.”
In response, Mike Huckabee wrote on X: “The Brits have lost it. The Jew hate of their government knows no boundaries and knows no facts.”
The row erupted days after Mr Miliband said the UK would “reset” its policy on Israel, amid expected plans to sanction Israel over illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Israel’s foreign ministry has denied there are restrictions on the entry of medicines into Gaza and accused Mr Miliband of promoting “stories”.
However, it is not the first time the issue has been raised.
In January a report from the charity Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and the Global Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School set out restrictions on food and medical supplies.
The Telegraph newspaper has also highlighted cases in which chemotherapy drugs have run out mid-treatment.
The UN’s humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in June that greater quantities of aid were entering Gaza but remained insufficient as he cited restrictions affecting some items including prosthetic limbs.
Aid agencies have also warned that limits on engine oil and spare parts have made it harder for hospitals to function.
It is also not the first time the UK government has hit out at Israel over supplies to Gaza.
In August 2025, David Lammy, then foreign secretary, said he was “outraged” by Israel’s refusal to allow sufficient aid into the territory.
Mr Miliband, who is himself the son of Jewish refugees who fled Nazi persecution, has said there will be a “comprehensive reset” of British policy towards Israel.
He also said in a social media video that the UK government needed to “act more decisively” to alleviate conditions in Gaza.
On Saturday Tom Tugendhat, the shadow foreign secretary, has warned that damaging diplomatic relations with Israel could hurt UK security, as Tel Aviv is a major intelligence ally.
He said: “I can tell you, as security minister, a lot of incidents did not happen because of co-operation with intelligence sources in Israel, who helped us to protect British people from terror attacks.”
