The admission came as David Cameron, the foreign secretary, urged Israel to remove barriers on the delivery of humanitarian aid into the territory that were risking "real, widespread hunger".
Lord Cameron listed a series of changes Israel had to make, including opening border crossings 24 hours a day and at weekends.
Under his first cross-examination by MPs on the foreign affairs select committee since his surprise elevation as foreign secretary, Cameron came under intense scrutiny as to whether Israel's military siege of Gaza was in breach of international humanitarian law.
At first he said he was unsure if Israel was legally the occupying power in Gaza, but accepted de facto that was the case. Challenged about whether Israel had a legal duty as the occupying power to supply water to Gaza, Cameron conceded Israel ought not to have turned supplies off, and should restore water.
The committee chair, Alicia Kearns, then pressed the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's permanent under secretary, Sir Philip Barton, sitting alongside Cameron, to admit Israel as the occupying power had an obligation under international humanitarian law to supply water. Sir Philip first said, "You ask me a technical question about occupying powers and what their obligations are in international law. I imagine you are correct, chair, but I am not a lawyer."
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