More than 800 senior government officials from the US, UK and EU countries have signed a joint statement against their governments' policies in the war between Israel and Gaza . " The policies pursued by our governments are serious violations of international law, war crimes, and risk even ethnic cleansing or genocide ," the statement said.

More than 800 senior government officials from the US, UK and EU countries have signed a joint statement warning that their governments' policies in the war between Israel and Gaza could be a "serious breach of international law".

A "transatlantic statement", a copy of which was made available to the BBC, said their administration risked complicity in "one of the worst humanitarian disasters of this century " and that their expert advice was being ignored.

It is yet another sign of deep divisions among the governments of Israel's main Western allies.

One of the signatories, a US government official with more than 25 years of national security experience, expressed his concerns to the BBC. he spoke about " continuous neglect" .

"The voices of those who understand the region and its dynamics are not being heard, " he said.

"What's really different here is that we're not just preventing something, we're actively participating. This is completely different from any other situation in my memory," added the official, who wished to remain anonymous.

The statement was signed by government representatives of the United States, the European Union and 11 European countries, including Great Britain, France and Germany.

It says that Israel has "shown no restraint" in its military operations in the Gaza Strip, "which has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians; and ... the deliberate blocking of aid ... is putting thousands of civilians at risk of starvation and slow death."

"Our governments' policies have a clear risk of serious violations of international law, war crimes, and even ethnic cleansing or genocide," the statement said.

The names of those who signed or supported the statement were not released. The BBC reporter has not seen the full list of names, but he knows that almost half of the signatories have at least ten years of experience in public service , the report says.

According to the words of the retired American ambassador, until now many countries have not seen such a coordinated action of disgruntled officials in the government apparatus at the same time.

"In 40 years of observing foreign policy , this is the most unique event I have ever seen , " said former US ambassador to Algeria and Syria, Robert Ford, in an interview with the BBC.

He compared it to the US administration's concerns about flawed intelligence used to justify the invasion of Iraq in 2003, but this time many officials decided not to stay silent.

"[ At that time ] people knew the truth , that the intelligence information was selective, that there was no post-war plan, but no one spoke about it openly. And this time it turned out to be a serious problem, " said Ford.

"The problems related to the war in Gaza are so serious and the consequences are so dangerous that they have to make it public, " he said.

The officials said in their letter that their government's military, political and diplomatic aid to Israel "without real conditions and accountability" not only results in more Palestinian deaths, but also the lives of Hamas hostages . he also wrote that it could endanger Israel's security and regional stability.

"Israel's military operations have ignored all the important counterterrorism experience gained since 9/11 ... [the military] operation did not contribute to Israel's goal of defeating Hamas , but rather increased the attractiveness of Hamas , Hezbollah and other negative parties , " the collective letter said.

Officials said they had raised their professional concerns through internal channels but were "ignored for political and ideological reasons".

A senior British official who supported the appeal told the BBC that there was "growing concern" among civil servants.

The official pointed to the impact of the International Court of Justice's initial ruling last week in a case brought by the Republic of South Africa that required Israel to take all measures to prevent acts of genocide.

"Our foreign minister [ Dévid Kemeron ] dismissed South Africa's claim as `` unhelpful .'' It puts the whole [rules-based international order] at risk, " said a British official on condition of anonymity.

"We have heard how ministers have leveled accusations against the Israeli government , apparently without credible and sound legal advice . Our current approach, in my opinion, does not serve the interests of Britain, the region or the world order," the interviewer added.

While Israel's military operations have destroyed an unprecedented amount of life and property in the Gaza Strip , there is no apparent strategy to effectively eliminate Hamas as a threat, nor a political solution to ensure Israel's long-term security, the statement said.

He called on the US and European governments to "stop telling the public that there is a strategic and rational basis for the Israeli operation."