A vote in the US Senate on support for Israel in its invasion of Gaza laid bare the increasing fissures in the Democrat Party ahead of the presidential election in November, reports Al Jazeera.

The Senate voted 72 to 11 against a resolution proposed by US Senator Bernie Sanders to potentially halt $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel. Nine Democrat senators voted with Sanders, reflecting growing discontent among the “progressive” wing of the party.

“Whether we like it or not, the United States is complicit in the nightmare that millions of Palestinians are now experiencing,” said Sanders on the Senate floor. Hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza “are starving right before our eyes”, he added.

Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat senator who voted to advance the resolution, said a message needs to be delivered to Israel’s leadership.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has to understand that he does not get a blank check from the United States Congress. We have a responsibility to stand up now and say that given how Netanyahu and his right-wing war cabinet have prosecuted this war, we have serious questions that we are obligated to ask before we go further in our support,” she said.