Councillors in Birmingham have voted for a proposal to seek to withdraw from any financial investments linked to Israel.
The motion was proposed by independent councillor Nosheen Khalid, who is a member of the Better Birmingham Group which is part of the ruling coalition, and the council’s cabinet member for health and social care.
Despite a ceasefire coming into force in Gaza in October 2025, Israel has continued air strikes almost every day. More than 1,500 people have been killed, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The conflict was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, more than 74,000 have been killed in Gaza, according to the area’s health ministry, many of them civilians.
Israel says it is targeting Hamas operatives and accuses Hamas of continued violations of the ceasefire.
Referring to the war in Gaza, Khalid said that “where money goes, responsibility follows” and called for a six-month review of the investments made by Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Pension Fund, with options for the council to withdraw from those connections on human rights grounds.
There were cheers from some in the council chamber when the motion was carried.
