Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address lawmakers in the US Congress on July 24, AFP reports.

The visit comes amid mounting pressure for the US ally and Hamas to agree to a permanent ceasefire, as Israel faces growing diplomatic isolation over the rising death toll in Gaza.

The four top party leaders in the US House and Senate from both sides asked Netanyahu last week to speak before a joint meeting of Congress in a letter voicing solidarity with Israel “in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive.”

Netanyahu’s visit “symbolises the US and Israel’s enduring relationship and will offer […] Netanyahu the opportunity to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending their democracy, combating terror, and establishing just and lasting peace in the region,” House Speaker Mike Johnson and top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said in a statement.

The visit comes after Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Israel to hold new elections in a rare example of strident criticism from a senior American official of the country’s handling of the military offensive in Gaza.