The leader of the US Senate called Thursday for Israel to hold new elections in the most strident criticism yet by a senior American official of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza. The rebuke from Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking elected Jewish American in history, came amid increased pressure from President Joe Biden over the mounting death toll in the conflict, sparked by the 7 October attacks by Hamas militants. “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is that Isra…