‘Breach of international law’: UK lashes Israel’s Gaza blockade

The accusation is the first time Britain has made a definitive judgment about Israel’s conduct in the enclave as Foreign Secretary David Lammy accuses Jerusalem of ‘starving children’.

A truck loaded with humanitarian aid drives through Rafah before Israel’s blockade of food, fuel and medicine. Picture: AFP.

Israel is breaking international law in Gaza, Britain has said for the first time, as David Lammy accused Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of “starving children”.

The Foreign Secretary said that the two-week long blockade of food, fuel and medicine imposed by Israel on Gaza was “appalling and unacceptable”.

He urged Israel to allow humanitarian trucks back into Gaza and said that the hold-up in deliveries to 2.3 million Palestinians was “hugely alarming and very worrying”.

Britain has avoided making definitive judgments about the legality of Israel’s conduct since the October 7 terror attacks of 2023.

The UK, which has been keen to avoid damaging its deep intelligence-sharing relationship with Tel Aviv, has previously said that Israel’s military actions “risk” breaching international humanitarian law.

The Foreign Office said that the decision to suspend 30 arms licences to Israel last year was taken because of the “clear risk” that British weapons could be used “to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law”.

However, in a significant hardening of the UK’s position, Lammy said of the recent suspension of aid deliveries: “This is a breach of international law.”

Netanyahu halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2 to maximise pressure on Hamas as part of ceasefire negotiations.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaks to reporters. Picture: AFP.

Hamas has demanded the implementation of the second phase of the ceasefire deal, which would see all Israeli troops withdrawn from Gaza and the remaining hostages released.

However, Netanyahu is demanding an extension to the first six-week phase of the deal instead. During the first phase, Hamas released 25 living hostages and the bodies of eight others were returned to Israel in exchange for around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.

Speaking in the Commons, Rupa Huq, the Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton, accused Israel of taking “provocative action during Ramadan” and asked what consequences there would be for what “people are saying is a breach of international law”.

In response, Lammy said: “This is a breach of international law. Israel quite rightly must defend its own security. But we find the lack of aid — it’s now been 15 days since aid got into Gaza — unacceptable, hugely alarming and very worrying.

“We would urge Israel to get back to the amount of trucks we were seeing — way beyond 600 — so Palestinians can get the necessary humanitarian support that they need at this time.”

Later, Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, urged Lammy to accuse Israel of acting “illegally” and “in breach of international law”.

Lammy said in response: “I did say in my contribution that it is in breach of international humanitarian law.”

It is understood that Britain is not looking at suspending further arms licences to Israel. Earlier in the House of Commons debate, Lammy told MPs that he was “jet-lagged” having returned from Canada and the US early on Monday morning.

Asked by Jim Shannon, the DUP MP for Strangford, how the UK would protect “children from both sides” in Israel and Gaza, Lammy said: “I think it’s horrendous that when one looks at the scenes of those hostages coming out that, amongst those hooded young men with Kalashnikovs, are children. This cannot be right or proper.

“At the same time it cannot be right to starve children of the humanitarian aid, the medical supplies that they need at this time whilst we seek to deal with the problems of Hamas and get those hostages out.”

The Times