House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday joined the growing list of U.S. lawmakers calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. 

Pelosi, D-Calif., made clear her support for Israel as an ally and its right to defend itself against attacks. 

She, however, added: “Now, after more than a week of hostilities, it has become even more apparent that a ceasefire is necessary. There must be a serious effort on the part of both parties to end the violence and respect the rights of both the Israeli and Palestinian people.

“It is with respect for Israeli and Palestinian lives that leaders must strive for peace through a negotiated two-state solution,” she added.

Pelosi’s statement comes a day after President Joe Biden expressed support for a ceasefire in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but stopped short of explicitly demanding an immediate end to the conflict. 

The fighting began May 10 when Hamas fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem in support of Palestinian protests against Israel’s heavy-handed policing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a flashpoint site sacred to Jews and Muslims, and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.

At least 213 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes since, including 61 children, with more than 1,440 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not break the numbers down into fighters and civilians. 

Twelve people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also said Monday he supports a ceasefire, bringing Washington’s three most powerful Democrats in alignment. 

Schumer, who is Jewish and an ardent supporter of Israel, told reporters he fully agreed with a statement issued Sunday by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Todd Young, R-Ind., calling for an end to the violence.

"As a result of Hamas’ rocket attacks and Israel’s response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further," wrote the senators, who are the top Democrat and Republican on the the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia and Counterterrorism.

A separate statement Sunday from 29 lawmakers — 27 Democrats and two independents who caucus with Democrats — also called for a truce. 

“To prevent any further loss of civilian life and to prevent further escalation of conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories, we urge an immediate ceasefire,” the group, led by Sen. Jon Ossoff, Georgia’s first Jewish senator, wrote.

However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Monday rejected “calls for blanket ceasefires and people wagging their fingers at both sides,” adding, “This camp apparently includes some of our own Senate colleagues.”

“Israel deserves an opportunity to restore deterrence and to impose costs on terrorists the international community has been unwilling or unable to impose,” he said on the Senate floor.

Netanyahu said Sunday there will no immediate end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas.

This article was updated to correct the title of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.