A group of more than 800 government officials in the U.S., Britain and major European countries as well as European Union institutions has signed a letter urging Western countries to reconsider their policy of near-total support for Israels devastating offensive in Gaza.

The letter, released Friday, urges those governments to use all possible leverage, including potentially cutting off military support for Israel, to secure a cease-fire in Gaza that will increase aid for Palestinians and bring the release of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas and other militants on Oct. 7. Its the latest sign of deep alarm among foreign policy professionals about the path President Joe Biden and other world leaders have chosen since the attack and Israels retaliation began.

We are expected as civil servants to respect, serve and uphold the law while implementing policies, regardless of the political parties in power we have done so for our entire careers, says the letter , also signed by people working for the French, German and Swiss governments, among others. We have internally expressed our concerns that the policies of our governments/institutions do not serve our interests and called for alternatives that would better serve national and international security, democracy and freedom; reflect the core principles of western foreign policy; and incorporate lessons learned. Our professional concerns were overruled by political and ideological considerations.

Frustration among national security experts inside the governments that Israel counts as its key international supporters is at an all-time high.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a town hall-style meeting with State Department employees, a significant group of whom have signed so-called dissent cables challenging Bidens Gaza policy. At the meeting, one staffer told Blinken that State Department employees are receiving messages daily from people in Gaza who have previously been involved in U.S. government programs and are asking what more the U.S. could do to end the conflict winning huge applause from attendees of the session, a State Department official told HuffPost.

State Department spokespeople did not respond to a HuffPost request for comment on the incident.

Josh Paul, a veteran State Department official whose resignation over the U.S. Gaza policy was first reported by HuffPost , helped organize the Friday letter, whose signatories are anonymous for fear of professional retaliation. In a statement regarding the message, Paul argued: One-sided support for Israels atrocities in Gaza, and a blindness to Palestinian humanity, is both a moral failure, and, for the harm it does to Western interests around the globe, a policy failure.

This is a remarkable statement from hundreds of individuals who have devoted their lives to building a better world, and, at a time where our politicians seem to have forgotten them, it is a much-needed reminder of the core values that bind the transatlantic relationship, and a proof that they endure, he continued.

The letter is expected to continue to attract signatures in the coming days.