Twelve public resignees from the Biden administration have issued a joint statement criticising the US government for its policy failures in responding to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

“Whether in civil service, foreign service, armed forces, or as political appointees, each of us has sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States,” the statement reads.

“And as our nation celebrates its Independence Day, each of us are reminded that we resigned from government not to terminate that oath but to continue to abide by it; not to end our commitment to service but to extend it”.

The statement was posted by Tariq Habash, a former Department of Education staffer and the first Biden administration political appointee to publicly resign in January over US policy failures related to Israel’s military campaign.

The most recent resignation came on Tuesday from US Department of Interior official Maryam Hassanein, who criticised the Biden administration for funding and enabling “Israel’s genocide of Palestinians”.