Downing Street rejects Lammy’s claim Israel broke international law in Gaza

The public rebuke from Keir Starmer’s spokesperson came less than 24 hours after Lammy (right) told the Commons he believed Israel’s actions broke international law. Photograph: Victoria Jones/Rex/Shutterstock

Downing Street has rejected David 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 on Tuesday morning Israel was “at risk” of breaching humanitarian law, despite Lammy having told the Commons on Monday that the country had definitely done so.