Britain has delayed a decision to ban arms sales to Israel for weeks after officials were ordered to review evidence of possible war crimes from the Israeli aggression in Gaza, The Times reported on Tuesday.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is facing pressure from Labour MPs to announce a blanket arms embargo, while ministers favour suspending specific arms export licences that could be linked to suspected crimes in Gaza.

British arms exports to Israel are relatively modest compared to the United States, with British arms sales to Israel worth just £18.2 million last year.

However, there is reluctance to touch on the UK's role in building the F-35 fighter jets, which campaigners claim have been used in the bombing of Gaza.

The arms sales issue is one of several potential flashpoints in relations between Britain and Israel, which have been strained since Labour came to power.

For its part, the charity Oxfam placed a model of a Mark 84 bomb weighing 2,000 pounds, one of the heaviest bombs used by Israel in the Gaza Strip, in front of the British Parliament.

The organization wrote on the model, "Stop arming Israel," at a time when it published estimates that about 7,000 Palestinians will be killed or injured in Gaza during the parliament's 33-day summer recess.

Oxfam surrounded the bomb replica with a carpet of about 2,000 red roses for adult victims and yellow roses for child victims in front of the bomb, in reference to the expected death toll at the hands of the Israeli military as well as the Israeli hostages still in captivity, and said the British government was aware that weapons supplied to Israel could be used to commit genocide in Gaza.

On the other hand, some MPs from different parties are calling on the British government to intervene to stop an American oil tanker carrying 300,000 barrels of aviation fuel intended for the Israeli army in Gaza, which is currently anchored in British waters in Gibraltar.

Revoking export licenses and ending sales of the fighter jets, which are operated by both the RAF and the Israeli Air Force, would create a diplomatic headache, complicate the UK’s purchase of more F-35s and undermine relations with the United States.

Netanyahu's arrest file

In the same context, Attorney General Richard Hermer visited Israel last week to explain the government's decision to withdraw Britain's objections to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Hermer, a human rights lawyer, has previously spoken out against the “illegal” occupation of the West Bank, calling it “destructive” to Israel’s interests and completely contrary to the values of “Tikun Olam” (repairing the world) in which he was raised. He has family members who are fighters in the Israel Defense Forces.

In addition, Hermer was a signatory to a letter from prominent Jewish lawyers warning Israel to comply with international law in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

Another signatory, Philippe Sands KC, who represents Palestine at the International Court of Justice, said the recent ruling ordering a halt to settlements in the West Bank required the British government to stop arming Israel.

The International Court of Justice warns member states against “providing aid or assistance” to the Israeli occupation in the West Bank.