More members of the Biden administration are protesting the president's Israel-Hamas war policy.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that more than 400 political appointees and staff members from roughly 40 government agencies sent a letter to President Joe Biden to protest his support of Israel in its war.
The letter calls on Biden to seek an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and to push Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the territory.
"We call on President Biden to urgently demand a cease-fire; and to call for de-escalation of the current conflict by securing the immediate release of the Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained Palestinians; the restoration of water, fuel, electricity and other basic services; and the passage of adequate humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip," states the letter, a copy of which was reviewed by the Times.
News of the letter comes after Axios reported Monday that an internal State Department memo accused Biden of "spreading misinformation" on war, and Israel of committing "war crimes."
That letter was signed by 100 State Department and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) employees.
CNN reported last week that American diplomats warned the Biden administration that the ire of the Arab world against the U.S. is growing, saying the U.S. is "losing badly on the messaging battlespace."
The letter in the Times report and the one circulating among USAID employees were signed anonymously, out of "concern for our personal safety and risk of potentially losing our jobs," according to the USAID letter.
People who sign State Department dissent memos are required to disclose their names, but those dissents have not been released publicly, the Times said.
A majority of the people who signed the latest letter are political appointees of various faiths who work throughout the federal government, the Times reported.
"The overwhelming majority of Americans support a cease-fire," the letter states, linking to October poll results showing 66% of Americans, including 80% of Democrats, said the U.S. should pressure Israel to impose a cease-fire. "Furthermore, Americans do not want the U.S. military to be drawn into another costly and senseless war in the Middle East."
Israel has opposed a cease-fire on the grounds that it would spare Hamas and allow the terrorists to plan for future attacks. However, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his forces agreed to pauses in fighting to allow for clearly defined humanitarian missions.