WASHINGTON Democratic angst over Israel s military campaign in Gaza has grown steadily in recent weeks even before the death of seven aid workers killed by an Israeli air strike this week, in what could be a turning point in the U.S. approach to the conflict.

But Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) isnt backing off his staunch support for Israel, which has drawn the ire of some progressives and won him applause in corners of the Republican Party , including one member of Donald Trump s family.

On Thursday, after President Joe Biden appeared to threaten Israel with a change in U.S. policy if it doesnt alter its tactics and allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, Fetterman rejected the idea of conditioning support for Israel, as some of his colleagues have been pressing for months.

In this war against Hamas no conditions for Israel, Fetterman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. The post was accompanied by a photo of a story from The New York Times summing up Bidens tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he called the killing of aid workers earlier this week unacceptable and demanded Israel immediately implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The hoodie-wearing Pennsylvania Democrat has been one of the most vocal defenders of Israel throughout its six-month military campaign in Gaza, which it launched in response to the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. Hes steadfastly defended its right to go after Hamas, even as the civilian death toll has climbed into the thousands in Gaza, including in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. He wallpapered his office with posters of dozens of hostages Hamas took from Israel, waved an Israeli flag from the roof of his house after anti-Israel protesters gathered outside, and even sought to attend a private Republican lunch on Capitol Hill to hear Netanyahu speak via video.

Earlier this week, Fetterman called the death of World Central Kitchen aid workers in Gaza a tragedy and said that civilian deaths should be minimized in Gaza. But he largely stuck to his position that Hamas was ultimately responsible for the suffering there.

Its important to minimize the kind of collateral damage and I would hope that Hamas decides to not hide behind civilians and create those circumstances as well, Fetterman said during an interview with CBS News.

Celebrity chef Jos Andrs, the founder of World Central Kitchen, said Wednesday that Israel targeted his colleagues systematically, car by car despite signs on the convoy identifying it as a humanitarian mission.

This was not just a bad luck situation where oops we dropped the bomb in the wrong place, Andrs said after Netanyahu expressed sorrow for the strike and called it unintentional.

We are disappointed to see Senator Fettermans criticism of Bidens approach, said Tali deGroot, national political director for J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel group that supports additional U.S. pressure on Israel to change its governments policies.

Like the Senator, we too care deeply about the state of Israel. We hope to have an ongoing dialogue with him about why it is that these kinds of steps are actually pro-Israel, and in the best long-term interest of both countries.

Fettermans unvarnished support for Israel has drawn the ire of progressive Jews who oppose its military campaign in Gaza. Eva Borgwardt, a spokesperson for the group IfNotNow, whose members protested at Fettermans home, said in a statement: Apparently the only thing that will satisfy Senator Fetterman is more massacres, more starvation, more ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.