The Israeli government is “tarnishing” its reputation by ignoring calls from Britain and other nations for an end to the Middle East war, David Lammy has warned, after it dismissed international accusations over its actions in Gaza.
The Foreign Secretary said Palestinians have been subject to a “grotesque spectacle” as he addressed MPs amid a ground operation targeting Deir al-Balah, the main hub for humanitarian efforts in the enclave.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Lammy and counterparts from 24 other nations including France, Canada and Australia urged Israel to lift restrictions on the flow of aid.
They condemned the government’s “dangerous” system for delivering humanitarian assistance, which they said “deprives Gazans of human dignity.”
“We condemn the drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians, including children, seeking to meet their most basic needs of water and food,” the statement, which was also signed by the EU commissioner for equality, said.
In response, Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the statement was “disconnected from reality” and “sends the wrong message to Hamas.”
“The statement fails to focus the pressure on Hamas and fails to recognise Hamas’s role and responsibility for the situation,” the ministry said.
The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 21, 2025
Alongside 25 other partners, the UK message is clear: the war in Gaza must end now.
We need an immediate ceasefire, release of all hostages and a full resumption of aid.https://t.co/drlpbidmWl
“Hamas is the sole party responsible for the continuation of the war and the suffering on both sides.
“At these sensitive moments in the ongoing negotiations, it is better to avoid statements of this kind.”
Asked about the situation later on Monday, Mr Lammy told the Commons: “That ignoring of the international community is tarnishing greatly the reputation of Israel.
“We continue, of course, to look at what further we may need to do as he would expect.”
Palestinians have been subjected to a “grotesque spectacle” and a “litany of horrors,” he said, adding: “I utterly condemn the killing of civilians seeking to meet their basic needs.
“I firmly believe the Israeli government’s actions are doing untold damage to Israel’s standing in the world, and undermining Israel’s long-term security.”
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Calum Miller had earlier asked Mr Lammy: “Can he explain why there have been so few consequences since he and the minister spoke so powerfully in the last two months?
“And can he dispel the widespread view that he is not setting the policy he would choose, but that he is instead being reined in by No 10’s desire not to upset President Trump, by acting more boldly.”
Mr Lammy said “it is a source of great regret” that the conflict has not been brought to an end.
Earlier this month Israeli defence minister Israel Katz laid out plans for the “humanitarian city” in Rafah, Gaza’s most southern city which has been heavily damaged through the war.
He reportedly said that the military would initially move 600,000 Palestinians there, with the aim of eventually transferring the whole population to Rafah.
“Proposals to remove the Palestinian population into a ‘humanitarian city’ are completely unacceptable,” the foreign ministers said on Monday.
“Permanent forced displacement is a violation of international humanitarian law.”
The signatories also pledged that they would be “prepared to take further action to support an immediate ceasefire”.
In his statement to Parliament, Mr Lammy also announced a new £60 million package to support food assistance programmes, water and sanitation services and maternal and children’s healthcare in the enclave.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry have said dozens of people were killed trying to access food aid over the weekend.
At the Commons Liaison Committee, Sir Keir Starmer reiterated his commitment to recognising a Palestinian state and described the situation in Gaza as “intolerable”.
“Whether that’s the deaths of those that are queuing for aid, whether it’s the plans to force Palestinians to live in certain areas or be excluded from certain areas, they are all intolerable and absolutely wrong in principle,” he said.
Sir Keir’s Government also faced criticism from the Labour chairwoman of the Commons International Development Committee over the continued supply of parts for the F-35 fighter jet to Israel.
Sarah Champion said: “Alongside 25 other countries, the UK has issued a statement condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank but failed to provide concrete actions on how they will be held to account.
“The committee’s recent report on upholding international law, and our challenge on F-35 components, both give the Government practical tools to compel Israel to meet its obligations as an occupying nation.”
Israeli ground troops pushed into areas of Deir al-Balah, where several aid groups are based, for the first time on Monday.
Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in the city, which has avoided widespread devastation during the war, leading to speculation that Hamas holds large numbers of hostage there.
Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack in 2023 that triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people.
Fewer than half of the 50 hostages still in Gaza are believed to be alive.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which says women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
