FOREIGN Secretary David Cameron has said Israel should “turn the taps back on” in Gaza in a letter responding to concerns from a Tory MP.

The former prime minister and unelected peer said in a letter to Foreign Affairs Committee chair Alicia Kearns that Israel “has the power” to return the water supply to Gaza, and “should do so”.

Cameron’s letter also stated that UK aid has been routinely delayed waiting for Israeli permission to enter Gaza – and that Israel is blocking staff from obtaining the necessary visas required.

Cameron said: “Similarly, on water supplies, we continue to press Israel to allow in the fuel supplies needed for water pumping and desalination, which met 80% of water needs in Gaza prior to the conflict.

“We are also calling on Israel to restore water through the pipelines from Israel, including into the north where up to 300,000 people remain.

“Israel has the power to turn the taps back on — they should do so.”

In January, Cameron squirmed under questioning from the SNP after he called for Israel to "switch the water back on" – but wouldn't accept that they had turned it off in the first place or that doing so would constitute a war crime.

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The intervention comes after correspondence from Kearns requested Cameron make further enquiries on the ability to bring more aid trucks into Gaza.

This followed a now-deleted tweet from former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy suggesting that there are “no limits” on the amount of food and supplies crossing into Gaza and that 100 more trucks could be sent to the Kerem Shalom crossing without issue.

Levy also claimed the crossing was “currently closed on Saturdays at the request of the UN because there is so much undistributed aid piling up on the other side”.

The National:

However, the letter from the Foreign Secretary casts significant doubt on such claims.

Cameron wrote: “In response to the Israeli spokesman claims you quote I can confirm that the UN has not requested that the Kerem Shalom crossing is closed on Saturdays.

“It is our understanding that Israel closes it due to the Sabbath.

“Similarly, you cite claims — that I have also heard elsewhere — that international donors should send as much aid as they wish and Israel will facilitate its entry.

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“I wish this were the case. It is of enormous frustration that UK aid for Gaza has routinely held up waiting for Israeli permissions. For instance, I am aware of some UK funded aid being stuck at the border for just under three weeks waiting for approval.

“The main blockers remain arbitrary denials by the Government of Israel and lengthy clearance procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow opening windows in daylight hours.

“Before the conflict, around 500 trucks (of both aid and commercial items) entered Gaza each day. The daily average for the first part of March has been around 165 trucks a day.”

He added: “One of the key reasons for distribution issues within Gaza is Israel preventing the necessary staff from getting visas. This needs to change.”