Twenty-five Democratic senators sign on to a statement calling for Israel to allow fuel deliveries to power hospitals and water treatment centers in Gaza.

Israel has thus far resisted such calls, saying that Hamas diverts fuel for its own use in terror activities.

“We condemn Hamas’s horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, for which Israel must hold Hamas accountable. In the course of that endeavor, every effort must be made to protect innocent civilians,” the statement led by Sens. Chris Murphy, Chris Van Hollen, Brian Schatz, Peter Welch and Jeff Merkley says.

“Right now, hospitals in Gaza are hours away from running out of fuel that powers ventilators, incubators for babies, and other lifesaving equipment, and diseases are rapidly spreading without power to treat and pump clean drinking water. To prevent a potential health crisis and help save countless lives, we believe it is possible to transport fuel directly to these hospitals, desalination plants, and water pumping stations with full transparency to prevent diversion to Hamas,” the statement continues.

“There are extensive oversight mechanisms in place that will track the fuel deliveries directly to the intended sites where they can be used immediately to prevent the deaths of innocent civilians, including babies and children. We encourage the Biden administration to work with our Israeli, Egyptian, and UN partners to enable these lifesaving deliveries,” the senators add.

The statement follows calls from at least seven Democrats who echoed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s urging of the UN Security Council to consider “humanitarian pauses” in the Gaza in order to allow the uninhibited entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and to allow civilians to reach safe zones away from the fighting.