According to a former advisor from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), David Cameron, the former foreign secretary, ignored warnings from Foreign Office officials in both "Israel" and London about clear evidence of breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza. This neglect risks implicating the UK in these violations.

The advisor, who helped draft the warnings, spoke out following the Labour government's decision to suspend 30 of approximately 350 arms export licenses. This decision was based on a government memorandum released on Monday, which identified a significant risk that these arms that have been suspended could be used in serious breaches of international humanitarian law.

The source revealed that the contents of the memorandum resemble the warnings sent to the government from at least February onwards by Foreign Office advisors, which were largely focused on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. However, the published memorandum is expressed in much milder terms.

“The tragedy has to be considered: how many lives might have been saved if the arms export licenses had been stopped then and not in September, and what the potential ripple effect might have been on how other countries would have reacted in ceasing trade,” the source said.

They added, “The advice being sent through to the Foreign Office was clear that the breaches of IHL by Israel as the occupying power were so obvious that there was a danger of UK complicity if the licenses were not withdrawn.”

The investigation into the delay of 10 months for the British government to identify serious breaches of international humanitarian law coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's sharp criticism of Labour for allegedly failing to support "Israel".

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Following expressions of disappointment from other Israeli ministers about the British decision, Netanyahu escalated his response on X, stating, “This shameful decision will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens.”

He added, “Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defending our common civilization, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror … With or without British arms, Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”

Pro-Palestinian groups view the near-total exclusion of UK components from the F-35 fighter jet program as a significant loophole in the ban. By exempting these British components from the embargo, the UK aims to avoid provoking displeasure in Washington.

18 aid groups call for UK to halt arms sales

Earlier on Thursday, 18 aid and human rights organizations collectively rejected the UK government's decision to suspend 30 out of 350 arms licenses for "Israel", arguing that the significant loopholes in the ban mean the UK "will remain complicit in the death and destruction that Israel’s assault has wrought on Palestinians in Gaza."

The statement called for a comprehensive ban on all arms sales, including spare parts for the F-35 fighter jet program, which are crucial to the attacks on Palestinian civilians.

While acknowledging the government's announcement of a partial ban as a step forward, the groups assert that only a total ban on all arms sales would be adequate.

The statement further criticizes "Israel’s denial of access to UN mechanisms human rights experts and journalists and its rampant disinformation against UN agencies," which it says has severely hampered efforts to document the Israeli violations.