Military officials said on Sunday that Israel was pulling some troops out of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, saying it had ended its mission there as the war against Hamas reached the six-month mark.

The UK’s support for Israel was “not unconditional”, Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned days after an Israeli military strike killed three British aid workers. 

Biden ally opposes halting US weapons transfers to Israel

A Senate ally of President Joe Biden said the US should continue sending weapons to Israel, rejecting a call by House members to withhold arms transfers pending a full investigation into the Israeli missile strike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza.

Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, cited a heightened risk of an attack by Iran or its proxies after a strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that Iran blamed on Israel.

“In the face of a possible attack from Iran, I don’t agree that we should in any way constrain or stop the delivery of defensive material that is essential for Israel’s defence,” Coons said on Fox News on Sunday. 

Biden has come under renewed pressure to restrict US support for Israel after the aid workers, including a US-Canadian dual national, were killed last week. Israel’s army responded by dismissing two officers, calling the strike a case of “mistaken identification, errors in decision making, and an attack contrary to standard operating procedures”.

Biden delivered a warning to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, urging him to take new steps to protect civilians and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza or face a consequential shift in US support.

More than three dozen House Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, went further in an open letter on Friday, calling on the administration to withhold weapons transfers from Israel until an investigation “into the airstrike is concluded and, if it is found this strike violated US or international law, those responsible are held accountable”. 

Asked about the letter, Coons said he disagreed.  

“It’s important that we continue to show strong support for the defence of Israel, that we continue to support the Iron Dome and other ballistic missile defences that we’ve jointly developed and that we make it clear we will defend Israel against any Iranian proxy attack or any direct attack by Iran,” Coons said.  

Read more: Iran tells US to step aside as it readies response to Israel

In the six months since Hamas militants attacked Israel, parts of Gaza have been bombed to rubble. At least 33,000 Palestinians have died, according to the health ministry, which is run by Hamas, designated a terrorist organisation by the US and European Union. The United Nations estimates that at least 75% of Gaza’s population has been displaced and more than half a million civilians are on the brink of famine.  

Netanyahu says victory near, pulls some troops from Gaza

Military officials said on Sunday that Israel was pulling some troops out of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, saying it had ended its mission there as the war against Hamas reached the six-month mark.

“The 98th Commando Division has concluded its mission in Khan Yunis,” the army said in a statement. “The division left the Gaza Strip in order to recuperate and prepare for future operations.” 

A significant Israel Defense Forces (IDF) contingent would continue to operate in the enclave, Israel said in the statement.  

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing an official, reported that Palestinians earlier displaced from Khan Yunis may now be able to return to their homes from Rafah, along the border with Egypt, where they’ve been sheltering. Parts of Khan Yunis have been reduced to rubble.  

Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was “one step away from victory” in its war against Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the deadly attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants on 7 October. 

Netanyahu also said there would be “no ceasefire without the return of hostages” held in Gaza by Hamas since October.  

Appearing on Sunday on ABC’s This Week, White House spokesperson John Kirby said Israel’s partial troop withdrawal seemed to be “about rest and refit” for soldiers who’ve been on the ground for months. 

Still, Senator Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat and close ally of President Joe Biden, said the move looked like a tactical decision “in the face of a threat of a real attack from the north from Hezbollah or a direct attack from Iran.

“There will still be thousands of IDF soldiers in the south of Gaza,” Coons said on Fox News on Sunday.  

Earlier, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said Israel’s military had completed preparations to respond to any scenario that may develop regarding Iran, which has vowed revenge for a suspected Israeli attack on its embassy in Syria on 1 April. 

Read more: The Israel-Iran shadow war reaches a risky new phase: QuickTake

It’s unclear when that may happen or whether Iran would try to attack Israel directly or through one of its proxy groups such as Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. An Iranian official warned on Sunday that Israel embassies were “no longer safe”. 

“This war revealed to the world what Israel always knew — Iran is the one behind the attack against us through its proxies,” Netanyahu said Sunday. 

“Anyone who hurts us or plans to hurt us — we will hurt him. We put this principle into practice, all the time and in recent days.”  

The strike in Damascus destroyed the consulate building and killed at least 13 people, including seven Iranian military personnel and six Syrian nationals, according to Iranian state media.  

Cameron warns UK support for Israel is ‘not unconditional’

The UK’s support for Israel was “not unconditional”, Foreign Secretary David Cameron warned days after an Israeli military strike killed three British aid workers.

“Of course, our backing is not unconditional: we expect such a proud and successful democracy to abide by international humanitarian law, even when challenged in this way,” the former premier wrote in the Sunday Times six months after the Hamas attack on Israel that killed more than 1,200 people.

Cameron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have adopted a tougher tone toward Israel in recent months and have both had “robust conversations” with its ally, including Netanyahu, Sunak’s deputy Oliver Dowden told the BBC on Sunday. 

The government is coming under mounting pressure to halt the sale of British arms to Israel. Three former Supreme Court justices said that the UK was breaching international law by providing weapons to Israel, while some Conservative politicians suggested they would also support suspending defence exports.

Bloomberg reported this week that Sunak and Cameron are stuck between opposing Tory factions who either want to stop future defence exports to Israel or show it continued support, with at least three Cabinet ministers opposed to any suspension of arms sales.  

Dowden said on Sunday that Israel was still “legitimately able to receive arms exports” from the UK because the government’s assessment “has not changed”. He refused to say if the government received legal advice that Israel broke international humanitarian law, but said the UK did have concerns about the way Israel is “conducting itself”.  

UK to deploy Royal Navy to deliver food, supplies to Gaza Strip

The UK will deploy a Royal Navy ship to increase its humanitarian support to Gaza, days after an Israeli military strike killed three British aid workers.  

The vessel, along with £9.7-million of pledged spending, will support the ongoing effort to set up a maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza, which is expected to be operational in early May. The allocated funds will go toward aid deliveries, logistical expertise and equipment such as forklift trucks and storage units, according to a statement late on Saturday. DM