US senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is travelling to Israel this weekend to discuss what resources the US can provide for its war against Hamas.
Mr Schumer is leading a bipartisan group of senators to the country “to show the United States’ unwavering support for Israel”, his office said.
Mr Schumer is the first Jewish majority leader of the Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the US.
The visit comes as Congress is considering how much money and equipment to send to Israel and as two other high-ranking officials, secretary of state Antony Blinken and defence secretary Lloyd Austin, have visited in recent days.
Mr Schumer’s office said he will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog and senior opposition figure Benny Gantz, who is part of a newly formed wartime cabinet in Israel.
His office has not released the names of the senators who will be travelling with him.
The majority leader this week returned from a trip to China, where he pressured officials to condemn the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas.
The US officials are talking to Israeli officials about what kind of aid is needed to defend against attacks from Hamas and are seeking to avoid an expanded Middle East conflict.
The Israeli military directed some one million civilians to evacuate northern Gaza “for their own safety and protection” ahead of a feared Israeli ground offensive.
Gaza’s Hamas rulers responded by calling on Palestinians to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm” against Israel.
Mr Schumer’s visit comes as the Senate is set to return to Washington on Tuesday and debate how much money and equipment to send to Israel and whether to tie an aid package with money for Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion.
