Members of UK Jewish group say can’t ‘turn blind eye’ to Gaza war

LONDON: Members of the largest organisation representing British Jews have said they can no longer “turn a blind eye” to the war in Gaza, adding “Israel´s soul is being ripped out”.

In a major break with the Board of Deputies of British Jews´ policy of supporting the Israeli leadership, 36 of its members criticised the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu´s government in Gaza in an open letter published in the Financial Times.

“The inclination to avert our eyes is strong, as what is happening is unbearable, but our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out,” said the letter, signed by around one in eight members of the Board of Deputies.

It is the first time since the start of the war that members of the body have publicly criticised the Israeli government. “We cannot turn a blind eye or remain silent” about the loss of life since a two-month truce collapsed on March 18, as negotiations over the return of Israeli hostages broke down, the letter added.

“Israel´s soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to,” added the letter. Meanwhile, a haunting portrait of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both arms during an Israeli attack on Gaza City won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award on Thursday.

The picture, by Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, depicts Mahmoud Ajjour, evacuated to Doha after an explosion severed one arm and mutilated the other last year.“One of the most difficult things Mahmoud´s mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, ´How will I be able to hug you´?” said Elouf.

The photographer is also from Gaza and was herself evacuated in December 2023. She now portrays badly wounded Palestinians based in Doha.“This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations,” said Joumana El Zein Khoury, World Press Photo Executive Director.The jury praised the photo´s “strong composition and attention to light” and its thought-provoking subject-matter, especially questions raised over Mahmoud´s future.