WASHINGTON – Democratic senators called on United States President Joe Biden to press Israel for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, citing recent deaths of Palestinian civilians in its war with Hamas and what they portrayed as a lagging US response to the humanitarian crisis.

“This killing of the innocent people there has to stop,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said on CNN’s State Of The Union programme. “The medical situation on the ground there is horrible, horrible.”

Hamas said it is holding talks in Cairo that started on March 3 on a framework that may lead to a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.

US officials said on March 2 that Israel has essentially agreed to a six-week halt if Hamas commits to handing over hostages categorised as vulnerable, including women, the ill or injured, and the elderly.

With the Biden administration under domestic political pressure to address the suffering of Palestinian civilians, US and Jordanian forces airdropped some 38,000 meals along the coast of Gaza on March 3. More airdrops are planned.

“This notion of airdrops – I support that, but that is not going to solve the problem,” Mr Durbin said.

He urged the administration to push for a ceasefire and humanitarian response as quickly as possible. 

“Members of Congress, at least the Democrats in the Senate, have been calling for that right and left,” he added.

Dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured on Feb 29 during an outbreak of violence near an aid convoy in northern Gaza.

Israel said it will review the incident and has denied its troops shot at people, saying that most victims were trampled or hit in the chaos.

“I think it is time for the President to use all the leverage that he has to get a long-term ceasefire. I think if that ceasefire doesn’t come, it’s in Israel’s interest for them to pause military activity to solve the humanitarian crisis,” Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat who chairs a Foreign Relations sub-committee on the Middle East, said on March 3 on ABC’s This Week.

The head of the European Council condemned the “killing of innocent civilians” waiting for food and called for an independent inquiry into the incident.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined the criticism, accusing Israeli troops of targeting civilians.  

More than 30,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, since Israel launched its assault after Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct 7, which left about 1,200 people dead and 250 others kidnapped by Hamas.

Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union.

The war has turned into a political risk for Mr Biden in the US, where some 100,000 voters, or more than 13 per cent, turned in “uncommitted” primary ballots in Michigan after calls by activists to protest his support of Israel.

In San Francisco, pro-Palestinian protesters nearly penetrated the security perimeter around Mr Biden’s motorcade in February.

“We need a ceasefire,” Representative Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, said on NBC’s Meet The Press. “That horrific picture we all saw on Thursday was desperation. It was total desperation.”

The Israel-Hamas war has tested traditional broad support in Congress for a longstanding ally.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Ben Cardin said he opposes tightening conditions for further military aid to Israel. 

“Israel is our ally,” the Maryland Democrat said on Fox News on March 3. “Israel is in a fight for its security. It needs to defend itself.” BLOOMBERG