Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, led more than 30 fellow senators in urging the Biden Administration to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and West Bank amid Israeli attacks, his office announced Wednesday.

In the letter, addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the senators expressed support for "Israel's right to defend its people" against the recent violence carried out by the militant group Hamas, who "bears the blame for initiating this conflict."

However, they continued, "We also know there are many innocent Palestinians in Gaza who do not support Hamas and urgently need help as they seek to flee the fighting."

"Displaced people around the world depend on lifesaving humanitarian assistance from the UN and its partners to feed their families, receive medical treatment, and secure shelter," the senators wrote. "The United States should continue its steadfast support for Israel while also doing our part to help the UN assist innocent civilians as they flee the violence."

Murphy and the other Democratic senators did not endorse a ceasefire in Gaza, as a small group of House Democrats and a growing number of advocacy groups have demanded. Instead, they pressed the U.S. to contribute to the United Nation's appeal for $294 million in aid "to address the immediate humanitarian needs in the West Bank and Gaza."

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the U.S. will provide $100 million in aid to Gaza and the West Bank through partnerships with the United Nations and international NGOs.

"Civilians are not to blame and should not suffer for Hamas's horrific terrorism," Biden said in a statement. "Civilian lives must be protected and assistance must urgently reach those in need."

Additionally, Biden plans to ask Congress for $10 billion in assistance to Israel, according to the New York Times.   

The Murphy-led letter to Blinken was signed by 33 of the 51 senators who make up the Democratic caucus, including prominent names such as Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; and Cory Booker, D-N.J.

Other Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., did not sign, nor did any Senate Republicans.

Connecticut's other senator, Democrat Richard Blumenthal, did not sign the letter but did tweet his support for "enabling lifesaving humanitarian assistance to reach all who need it in Israel and Gaza." On Thursday, Blumenthal signed onto a statement from Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., that urged "swift implementation of sustained access for humanitarian aid, including water and medical supplies, to save civilian lives in Gaza."

Over nearly two weeks since Hamas's attacks killed more than 1,300 Israeli civilians, Israel has largely shut off supplies to Gaza, while repeatedly launching missiles into the territory. Last week, Israel ordered approximately 1 million residents to evacuate Gaza's northern half or risk being hit by Israeli strikes.

The death toll in Gaza since Israel declared war has risen to 3,785 Palestinians killed, including 1,524 children, 1,000 women and 120 older people, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday.

In recent days, the violence has spilled into the West Bank, where Israeli forces have killed at least 69 Palestinians and arrested hundreds more.

A United Nations official on Wednesday called the situation in Gaza an "unprecedented catastrophe," pleading for aid to be allowed into the region.

On the Senate floor Wednesday, Murphy advocated supporting Israel but also urged the United States to learn lessons from the nation's response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which includes long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In his view, the U.S. was "far too cavalier about civilian casualties and the humanitarian cost of our pursuit of the Taliban" and wound up "producing more terrorists and insurgents than they were eliminating." 

"If we're going to be honest with our friends in Israel, then we need to admit that we often failed to see beyond our fury and that we made mistakes by not understanding what came next after the invasion of Afghanistan and the decapitation of our enemy," Murphy said. "We had a Day One strategy, but we did not have a Day Two strategy, and we paid a horrible price."