Israeli government spokesman who clashed with David Cameron over Gaza aid is suspended

An Israeli government spokesperson who clashed with UK foreign secretary David Cameron over humanitarian aid in Gaza has been suspended.

Elyon Levy, born and raised in north London before emigrating to Israel in 2014, responded to a post by Lord Cameron on the social media platform X on 8 March, in which the foreign secretary urged Israel “to allow more [aid] trucks into Gaza”.

In a now-deleted post, Mr Levy replied: “I hope you are also aware there are NO limits on the entry of food, water, medicine, or shelter equipment into Gaza, and in fact the crossings have EXCESS capacity.”

“Test us. Send another 100 trucks a day to Kerem Shalom and we’ll get them in,” he added, referring to an Israeli-controlled border crossing.

It was the second time in as many days Mr Levy had responded directly to Lord Cameron, a fellow graduate of the same college at Oxford.

The first message involved Mr Levy criticising a statement issued by Lord Cameron after he met with an Israeli minister in London.

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After the second post, the UK embassy in Tel Aviv reportedly contacted the Israeli prime minister’s office to ask whether Mr Levy’s position was reflective of official government policy or the spokesperson’s personal opinion.

The UK Foreign Office also reportedly wrote to Israel’s foreign ministry to express its “surprise” at the comments, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

That same new channel later said Mr Levy had been suspended on Tuesday. They did not provide a reason for the suspension and Mr Levy has not commented.

The 32-year-old rose to prominence on the international stage as a spokesperson for the government in the wake of Hamas’ deadly attack on 7 October. Roughly 1,200 people were killed in that attack and hundreds taken hostage in Gaza, the Hamas-controlled exclave.

During Israel’s subsequent offensive on Gaza, which has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to the local health ministry, Mr Levy has been representing the Israeli government in international media interviews.

He volunteered for the role despite attending protests against the government’s plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary last year.

Last November, a clip of him raising his eyebrows in incredulity at a question put to him by Sky News’ Kay Burley was turned into a meme that then went viral.

“Look at me, mummy, I’m a gif,” he wrote at the time.

In January, Israel’s Channel 12 news claimed that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had expressed opposition to Mr Levy’s growing profile and that high-powered individuals were seeking to oust him.

Mr Netanyahu has also lamented the ineffectiveness of Israel’s public diplomacy as international pressure continues to ramp up against its prolonged offensive in Gaza.

“There simply are no people, you are surrounded by people who can’t put two words together [in English]. We need to find them,” Mr Netanyahu was quoted as saying at a closed-door parliamentary committee hearing on Tuesday.

The UK Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.