Sen. Jeff Merkley talks about his plans for combating wildfires in 2020.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon has entered the political fray over the fighting in Gaza between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas.

Merkley released a statement Monday, Nov. 20, calling for a ceasefire. The Washington Post, quoting Gaza’s Health Ministry, has reported that more than 11,100 people have been killed in Gaza. At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel, and an unknown number of hostages were taken, when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Thirteen Democrats in the Senate, including Merkley, sent a letter to President Joe Biden this week, calling for the ceasefire. “This conflict will not be solved by force alone,” they wrote.

In a related press release, Merkley called for a ceasefire, which would include the immediate cessation of hostilities by both sides. He wrote that such a ceasefire would not endure unless the ceasefire and the negotiations that follow accomplish a number of objectives, including the release of all hostages and a massive influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the strip of land between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

“I have called for humanitarian pauses to facilitate negotiations for the release of hostages,” Merkley wrote, “the movement of Palestinians in Gaza to identified safe zones, the departure of foreign citizens who wish to leave, and the massive distribution of food, water, medicine, and fuel by accredited international aid organizations for essential purposes like water desalination, ambulances, and hospitals.”

Merkley also released a statement regarding his position — and not necessarily that of the other 12 Senate Democrats who co-signed the letter to the president — on Israel and the Palestinians.