![UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy leaves 10 Downing Street after attending the weekly Cabinet meeting in London, United Kingdom on October 15, 2024. [Raşid Necati Aslım - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/AA-20241015-35918809-35918782-WEEKLY_CABINET_MEETING_IN_LONDON.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
The United Kingdom has acknowledged that Israel is breaking international law by cutting off aid and food to the Gaza Strip, marking the first such admission by British authorities.
In the House of Commons on Monday, the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy was asked about the government’s stance on Israel’s decision this month to cut off aid and food to Gaza, which came in response to disagreements over the short-lived ceasefire deal with Hamas.
Labour MP Rupa Huq in particular broached Lammy on what the “consequences” would be for Israel’s “provocative action” during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, to which the foreign secretary replied that “my honourable friend is right” and that “this is a breach of international law”.
READ: UK says civilian casualties from Israeli strikes on Gaza ‘appalling’
While maintaining the view that “Israel quite rightly must defend its own security” in its offensive against and bombardment of the Palestinian territory, he said that “we find the lack of aid – it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza – unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying”.
Lammy added that the British government “would urge Israel to get back to the amount of trucks that we were seeing going in, way beyond 600, so that Palestinians can get the necessary humanitarian support they need at this time”.
The foreign secretary’s comments mark the first open admission by the British government or a senior official Israel is violating international law in its ongoing blockade of the Strip, breaking usual unofficial government protocol of refraining from making those accusations against Tel Aviv.
Downing Street, however, rejected Lammy’s assessment that Israel has broken international law by blocking aid to Gaza, in a rare public censure for the foreign secretary.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said this morning Israel was “at risk” of breaching humanitarian law, despite Lammy’s comments a day earlier.