The US Senate blocked legislation that would have halted the sale of some US weapons to Israel, which had been introduced out of concern about the human rights catastrophe faced by Palestinians in Gaza.

According to Reuters, 79 of the 100 senators opposed a resolution that would have blocked sales of tank rounds to Israel, while 18 approved it and one voted present.

The Senate was due to vote later on two other resolutions that would stop shipments of two other types of offensive military equipment.

All of the votes in favour of the measure came from Democrats, while “no” votes came from both Democrats and Republicans. Approval would have been a marked departure from decades of US congressional support for Israel, which for years was the biggest recipient of US military assistance.

The “resolutions of disapproval” were filed by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and co-sponsored by a handful of Democrats.

Backers hoped that forcing a vote would encourage Israel’s government and President Joe Biden’s administration to do more to protect civilians in Gaza.