Hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned address to Congress, the chairs of several powerful Senate committees wrote to President Joe Biden expressing their support for a deal to end the war in Gaza.

Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Chairman of the of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jack Reed, D-R.I., Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Mark Warner, D-Va., Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said they support a plan that returns all hostages and leads to a two-state solution.

What You Need To Know

  • The chairs of several Senate committees wrote to President Biden Wednesday expressing their support for a deal to end the Gaza conflict

  • Senators Ben Cardin, D-Md., Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Mark Warner, D-Va., said they support a plan that returns all hostages and leads to a two-state solution

  • In June, President Biden proposed a three-part plan that would start with a six-week cease-fire and the Israel Defense Forces’ withdrawal from populated parts of Gaza

  • More than 40,000 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to the United Nations

“We commend your focus on moving towards a sustainable and negotiated two-state outcome that ensures Israel’s long-term security as a Jewish and democratic state, living alongside a Palestinian state with equal measure of peace, dignity and prosperity.”

In May, President Biden proposed a three-part plan that would start with a six-week cease-fire and the Israel Defense Forces’ withdrawal from populated parts of Gaza. The plan also called for a surge in humanitarian aid and a hostage exchange. Biden said Israel proposed the plan, but it was rejected by two far-right members of Israel’s coalition government.

Netanyahu is scheduled to speak to a joint session of Congress Wednesday afternoon. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., extended the invitation to Netanyahu, who will address the House and Senate for the first time since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel that led to its war in Gaza.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to the United Nations, including almost 39,000 Palestinians, 1,500 Israelis, 108 journalists and 224 humanitarian aid workers.

“Breaking the cycle of violence can only happen through a holistic approach to the Israei-Palestinian conflict, including meaningful and tangible steps to create a viable path to a two-state outcome for both Israelis and Palestinians,” the Senators wrote.

The trio of Democratic Senate chairmen said a post-conflict strategy for Gaza “must be comprehensive and done in cooperation with Arab and international partners to address thoroughly pressing humanitarian needs, security challenges and governance vacuums.”

They called on Israel to reverse its trend of annexing parts of the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority to assume responsibility for the security of all Palestinians.