A review commissioned by foreign secretary David Lammy is said to have concluded that the items – which include components of “fighter aircraft, helicopters and drones as well as items which facilitate ground targeting” – might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.

However, human rights campaigners have argued that the decision is “too limited and riddled with loopholes”.

For example, the UK will continue to supply components to the multi-national F-35 joint strike fighter programme, some of which go to Israel via the US, out of fear that suspending licences would “undermine the global F-35 supply chain that is vital for the security of the UK, our allies, and NATO”.

In a statement to MPs yesterday, Mr Lammy said: “Facing a conflict such as this, it is this government’s legal duty to review export licences.

“It is with regret that I inform the House today, the assessment I have received finds that for certain UK arms exports to Israel there exists a clear risk that they might be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

“Therefore today we are announcing the suspension of around 30 export licences to Israel as required under the export controls frameworks.

“The UK continues to support Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with international law.”

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive, said: “While this decision appears to demonstrate that the UK has finally accepted the very clear and disturbing evidence of Israeli war crimes in Gaza, it’s unfortunately too limited and riddled with loopholes.

“Exempting the F-35 fighter jet programme – essentially giving this programme a blank cheque to continue despite knowing that F-35s are being used extensively in Gaza – is a catastrophically bad decision for the future of arms control and misses a clear obligation to hold Israel accountable for its extensive war crimes and other violations.

“Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have already killed and injured tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, including entire families wiped out in their homes, displaced people killed in their tents, and aid workers and journalists apparently targeted while doing their jobs.

“Today’s decision means that while ministers apparently accept that Israel may be committing war crimes in Gaza, it is nevertheless continuing to risk complicity in war crimes, apartheid – and possible genocide – by Israeli forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the occupied Palestinian territory.

“We need to see a complete halt – with no loopholes, including for components for F-35s supplied to the USA for onward export to the Israeli military – to all UK arms transfers to Israel.”