The UK foreign secretary David Lammy announced on Monday that 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel would be immediately suspended as the export of certain arms to Israel may allegedly risk breaching international humanitarian law and the UK’s strategic export controls.

Lammy said that the trade and business secretary would not suspend the other 300 arms exports to Israel since they were not in breach of international humanitarian law. He said the suspension of the 30 exports would have no material impact on the security of Israel and that the suspension was not an “arms embargo” or “blanket ban” on arms export licenses. Lammy stated that the suspension would continue to be under review.

He reiterated in his speech in the House of Commons that the UK government’s priority for the Middle East is to advance peace, and assessed whether exporting arms to Israel may lead to the breach of international humanitarian law, which he was required to do as foreign minister. Lammy also said that the government was not acting as an international court and that “Israel could reasonably do more to ensure lifesaving food and medical supplies reach civilians in Gaza, in light of the appalling humanitarian situation.”

UK rights organizations have urged the labour government to stop supplying weapons to Israel and to “end complicity” with the acts of Israel since the appointment of Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July. Further, in July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel had violated international humanitarian law by occupying Palestinian territory unlawfully. Israel was found to have violated the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Hague Convention of 1907, among other international covenants.