New research reveals that continued and expanded oil supply from countries is fueling Israel’s ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people, which experts caution could make them complicit in serious crimes against Palestinians.

The report comes following the resignation of a British civil servant over concerns that the UK government is complicit in Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

The study, commissioned by Oil Change International, indicates that various countries and companies are still supplying fuel to “Israel’s war machine, despite the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) opinion from January, stating Israel is plausibly committing genocide and Palestinians in Gaza have plausible rights under the Genocide Convention and from July, stating the occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful.”

In response, Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, said: “After the 26 January ICJ ruling, states cannot claim they did not know what they were risking to partake in.” She added that international law binds states to prevent genocide and uphold the Geneva Conventions.

The report said its analysis highlights the ongoing complicity of countries and companies in the ongoing genocide.  

“As more and more Palestinians are killed in bombings and pressure intensifies on global leaders, including US presidential candidates, to end the genocide, these suppliers continue to enable the violence,” it added. 

It analysed 65 oil and fuel shipments to Israel between October 21, 2023, and July 12, 2024, using shipping logs, satellite images, and industry data.

It found that Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Gabon, Nigeria, Brazil, the Republic of the Congo, and Italy supplied 4.1 million tons of crude oil to Israel, nearly half shipped after the ICJ ruling.

Major oil companies, including Chevron, BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Eni, and TotalEnergies, provided about two-thirds of the crude, according to the report.

“According to some legal scholars, these companies could be held liable for complicity in acts of genocide, given the ICJ ruling,” added the research report.

Civil servant resigns over UK stance on Gaza

The new report follows the resignation of British diplomat Mark Smith over the UK’s sale of arms to Israel.

Smith’s resignation letter, leaked and first reported by Hind Hassan on X (formerly Twitter), revealed that after raising his issues through official channels, including a whistleblowing investigation, he received only a dismissive: ‘Thank you, we have noted your concern’ acknowledgement.

“There is no justification for the UK’s continued arms sales to Israel yet somehow it continues,” the letter says.

It added: “It is with sadness that I resign after a long career in the diplomatic service, however I can no longer carry out my duties in the knowledge that this Department may be complicit in war crimes.”

Smith is the first known British official to resign over the UK’s stance on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

In a BBC Radio 4 interview on Monday, Smith said: “What we can see is appalling acts of violence perpetrated on civilians, on civilian property,”

He added: “It’s actually quite clear, even from what you can see in open source… that the state of Israel is perpetrating war crimes in plain sight.”

“Anybody who has a basic understanding of these things can see that there are war crimes being committed not once, not twice, not a few times, but quite flagrantly and openly and regularly.”

When questioned about his internal efforts to address these concerns, Smith confirmed he had raised the issue “at pretty much every level,” including with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.

But he described the response as “unsatisfactory,” which ultimately led to his resignation.