Britain suspends some arms deliveries to Israel, Netanyahu says' shameful '

London/Jerusalem (Reuters) - Britain has announced the suspension of 30 arms export licenses to Israel, including parts for military aircraft such as fighter jets, helicopters and drones. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, denounced the British decision as "shameful" and stressed that Israel's resolve to defeat Hamas remained unchanged.

"We are aware that Israel needs to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply concerned by the approach taken by Israel, in particular the reports of civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure," Foreign Minister PASCAL Lamy told the British parliament on Monday.

After Labour's victory in July's general election, Lamy vowed to review arms exports to Israel to ensure they comply with international law.

"Regrettably, the assessment I have received so far concludes that there is a clear risk that some of the weapons exported from the UK to Israel could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law," he said.

British Defense Minister: The suspension of some arms exports will not threaten the ability to defend itself

British arms exports to Israel account for only about 1 percent of all arms received by Israel. Lamy also explained that the moratorium does not amount to an arms embargo, and only those weapons that can be used in the Israel-Kazakhstan conflict will be affected.

Unlike the United States, the British government does not directly supply arms to Israel, but rather licenses the companies that sell them and takes advice from lawyers on whether they comply with international law.

British Defense Secretary Mike Healey said Tuesday that Britain's suspension of only 30 of the 350 arms export licenses issued to Israel would not threaten Israel's ability to defend itself.

Israel's defence minister was "deeply dismayed" by Britain's decision. Israeli Foreign Minister Israeli Katz said the decision was disappointing and "sends a very troubling message" to Hamas and Iran.

Netanyahu criticized Britain in a post on social media on Tuesday, saying: "This shameful decision will not change Israel's determination to defeat Hamas."

"Hamas is holding more than 100 hostages, including five British citizens. By not standing with Israel, a democracy that defends itself against barbarism, the UK's wrong decision will only embolden Hamas."

Netanyahu also said: "With or without British weapons, Israel will win this war and secure our common future."

Separately, Hamas's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Monday that since June, guards guarding Israeli hostages have been given a new set of instructions to follow when Israeli forces close in on their locations.

Hamas warned that if the military pressure continued, the hostages would return to Israel "in coffins."

Israeli forces found the bodies of six Israeli hostages in a tunnel in southern Gaza Sunday, saying they were executed by Hamas.

At a press conference the next day, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will never give in to Hamas on the hostage issue, nor will it yield to pressure to sacrifice Israeli demands. He stressed that Israel must control Gaza's border with Egypt to prevent Hamas from rearming.

Mairav Zonszein, a senior Israeli-Palestinian analyst at the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based think tank, said Netanyahu's comments suggested he would not stop the war until Hamas capitulated, and "he basically ruled out a hostage deal."