Independent MP Ayoub Khan has said he would have sent British troops to Gaza following the 2024 Israeli strike that killed three British former servicemen working for World Central Kitchen.
Khan, the MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, made the comments on 17 September while responding on X to an apology issued by Labour MP Tahir Ali over remarks he had made in Parliament about military action against Israel.
Khan wrote that he had “absolutely no hesitation” in supporting United Nations forces entering the West Bank and Gaza to protect civilians, before adding that he would have sent British troops following the deaths of the three British aid workers.
Khan responds to Tahir Ali apology
The intervention followed a statement from Tahir Ali, Labour MP for Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley, who apologised after asking during a Commons debate whether it was time for “military action” to be taken against Israel.
Ali subsequently said his comments had wrongly given the impression that he supported the use of military force against Israel.
He apologised unreservedly and said he did not support military action anywhere in the Middle East.
Khan responded directly to that statement, setting out a different position.
He wrote: “I have absolutely no hesitation supporting UN forces entering the West Bank and Gaza to protect civilians from oppression, subjugation and murder. Frankly, I’d have sent British troops after the IDF killed three British former servicemen delivering humanitarian aid in Gaza.”
Three British World Central Kitchen workers were killed
Khan's reference was to the Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza on 1 April 2024.
Seven aid workers were killed, including British citizens and Armed Forces veterans John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby.
The UK Government has continued to press Israel for transparency and accountability over the attack. In April 2026, the Foreign Office said the families of the three Britons had sought answers for two years and called on Israel to conclude and publish its findings.
Israel acknowledged serious failures following the strike. Its military dismissed two officers and formally reprimanded others after an internal investigation.
Khan supports UN forces entering Gaza and West Bank
Khan's post contains two distinct propositions.
First, he said he supports UN forces entering Gaza and the West Bank for the stated purpose of protecting civilians.
Second, he said retrospectively that he would have sent British troops following the killing of the three British World Central Kitchen workers.
He did not in the post call for Britain to declare war on Israel, nor did he set out what mandate, rules of engagement or international arrangements he envisaged for such a deployment.
Comments are not Government policy
Khan is an independent MP and does not speak for the British Government on foreign or defence policy.
His comments therefore represent his own position and do not signal any change in UK Government policy towards Israel, Gaza or the deployment of British forces.
The Government's stated response to the World Central Kitchen strike has focused on demands for transparency, accountability and protection for humanitarian workers.
Ali had apologised for military-action remarks
The exchange follows controversy surrounding Ali's intervention during the Commons debate on Israel and Palestine on 14 September.
During a discussion about the future disarmament of Hamas, Ali asked whether Israel should also be disarmed and whether it was time for military action to be taken against the country.
He later said those words had given the wrong impression of his position and stated explicitly that he did not support military action anywhere in the Middle East.
Khan's subsequent response is significant because, rather than endorsing Ali's clarification, he explicitly set out circumstances in which he says he would support the deployment of international and British forces.
Sources
- The Jewish Chronicle: Ayoub Khan comments and X post
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office: UK reiterates call for accountability for World Central Kitchen strike
- 10 Downing Street: UK response to World Central Kitchen strike, April 2024
- Ayes To The Right: Tahir Ali apologises after military-action remarks
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