Israel has gone “beyond reasonable self-defence” in its attack on Gaza, a Labour frontbencher has said, as the party prepares for a potentially difficult Commons vote on the crisis later this week.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said it was possible that Israel had broken international law in its military campaign, which has killed more than 28,000 people in Gaza since the 7 October massacre of Israelis by Hamas.

Streeting said Labour had yet to decide how it would respond to an Scottish National party-led motion on calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which is due to be debated on Wednesday.

However, as the death toll in Gaza has mounted, and with a number of Labour MPs openly calling for a ceasefire, the party’s stance has gradually shifted, with Streeting’s comments among the toughest yet.

Speaking to the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday, Keir Starmer said the “fighting must stop now” in Gaza, and he warned Israel not to extend its military offensive to the southern city of Rafah.

In a vote on a similar SNP motion in November, in the form of an amendment to the king’s speech, 56 Labour MPs defed the party whip to back it, with eight frontbenchers stepping down to do so, including Jess Phillips.

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