US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has moved to address rising criticism within the State Department ranks over the Biden administration’s policy on the Israel-Hamas escalation, as hundreds of US government employees openly and privately have advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reports.

At least three cables criticising the administration’s policy have been filed with the Department’s internal “dissent channel”, which was established during the Vietnam War and allows diplomats to raise concerns about policy anonymously with the Secretary of State, sources familiar with the matter said.

In an emailed letter to the State Department employees, Blinken, having just returned from a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Asia, acknowledged the emotional toll the conflict has taken on the workforce but also the possible divisions within the ranks over policy.

“I know that for many of you, the suffering caused by this crisis is taking a profound personal toll,” Blinken said in the letter obtained by Reuters.