26 Democratic members of the US Senate expressed their concern in a letter addressed to US President Joe Biden regarding the Israeli military operations targeting Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which led to a rise in the death toll among Palestinian civilians, especially among children and women.

In the letter to Biden, the members asked US administration officials to brief Congress on how Israel is carrying out its military operations to mitigate civilian casualties in Gaza while achieving its goal of eliminating Hamas, the Palestinian resistance movement that the United States classifies as a terrorist movement.

The letter says, "We have joined you in condemning the brutal terrorist attacks launched by Hamas against Israel. We agree with you that Israel has the right to defend itself and hold Hamas accountable. We also thank your efforts that led to the release of two American citizens who were being held hostage, and we support your continued efforts to free the remaining hostages." ".

The letter was signed by Democratic members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, including the committee's chairman, Senator Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Murphy (D-Connecticut) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

The list of signatories also included Democratic Senators: Peter Welch, Angus King Jr., Jeanne Shaheen, Jeffrey Merkeley, Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, Raphael Warnock, Jon Assoff, Ray Lujan, Tammy Duckworth, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich. , Sherrod Brown, Tim Kaine, Bernard Sanders, Edward Markey, Mazie Hirono, Tammy Baldwin, Thomas Carper, and Richard Durbin.

“We respectfully ask your team to provide us with information related to these two clear American priorities: supporting an Israeli strategy that will effectively reduce and defeat the threat posed by Hamas, and taking all possible measures to protect civilians in Gaza,” the senators wrote.

They said: “We ask that you inform us of the specific mechanisms the administration is putting in place to ensure that Israeli military operations inside Gaza are carried out in accordance with international humanitarian law and to ensure that any equipment provided by the United States is used in a manner consistent with international humanitarian law and with US law.”

They added, "It is in America's interest to ensure that any military plans to fight Hamas do not result in the same strategic mistakes committed by many American military operations over the past few decades."

They continued: “As we review the administration’s supplemental request for military assistance to Israel, we respectfully ask you (Biden) to share with us your assessment of the feasibility of the Israeli military strategy in Gaza, and whether it prioritizes the release of hostages.”

The senators asked whether there is an achievable plan to govern Gaza when the Israeli military operation ends, as well as whether Israel supports the conditions necessary to eventually achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The members who signed the letter stressed the need to provide additional assistance to Israel, including five main areas: (1) curbing the threat posed by Hamas, (2) giving priority to the release of hostages, (3) developing a plan to work towards a two-state solution to establish a Palestinian state, (4) ) Commitment to US resolutions and international law while protecting civilians and (5) providing humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza.

“The information requested in this letter will help us ensure that American support for Israel’s operations inside Gaza achieves these goals,” they wrote.

The lawmakers also asked Biden to obtain assurances from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that “American supplies of rifles will not reach the hands of extremist Israeli settlers in the West Bank who are accused of committing violence and killing Palestinians in villages adjacent to the illegal lands of Israeli communities.” Based on assurances from the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, that his government is taking steps to suppress any acts of violence against Israelis.”

The signatories of the letter asked the Biden administration to provide them with information “about how our assistance will advance our efforts to engage with Israel, Egypt, and the broader international community to address the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.”

They said: “As we consider providing additional military assistance to Israel, our role must not only be limited to providing urgently needed humanitarian relief to Gaza, but we must also insist that Israel take all necessary measures to help us facilitate this relief for the two million civilians living there, half of whom children, including fully restoring water, electricity and communications services, accelerating fuel deliveries through well-established systems to avoid diversion to Hamas, and opening the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel to increase much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza. Aid workers and civilian sites such as schools and hospitals must also be protected. and United Nations facilities.