The United States dramatically deepened its involvement in the latest Israeli-Palestinian crisis on Wednesday, with President Joe Biden breaking his silence by assuring Israeli leaders of America‘s support but also calling for an end to the fighting that has already killed dozens of people.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also reached out to the Palestinian president and announced he was sending a State Department official to the region.

After days of staying quiet amid escalating tensions and increasing pressure from even some fellow Democrats, Biden on Wednesday spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Blinken also spoke to Netanyahu, while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart, Benny Gantz. Separately, national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with top Qatari officials in the hopes that they could help deescalate the situation.

Biden and his three deputies have all said Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas rockets being launched into Israeli territory and other violence. But all have also expressed a desire to see calm prevail.

“My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later,” Biden said in an encounter with reporters on Wednesday. “But Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory.”

Since taking office, Biden has sought to deemphasize focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in favor of other national security interests. But that posture has drawn increased criticism from activists and some members of Congress in recent days, with activists in particular questioning Biden’s silence and urging the administration to get more involved.

Sullivan’s call with Qatar’s foreign minister and deputy prime minister was likely aimed at getting Qatar to pressure Hamas to stop the rocket fire. The United States has labeled Hamas a terrorist group and does not directly engage it. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip.

“Mr. Sullivan made clear that the ongoing rocket attacks by Hamas into Israel are unacceptable and must end,” according to a readout of his call.

In his call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Blinken expressed condolences for the lives, but “condemned the rocket attacks and emphasized the need to deescalate tensions,” according to a readout of the call. It was Blinken’s first call with Abbas since the former became secretary of State. Biden is not known to have spoken to the Palestinian leader since taking over the presidency.

Some leading activists said the situation remains unpredictable.

“U.S. engagement at a time like this is desperately needed,” said Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a left-leaning pro-Israel group. “This conflict can’t go untended. The United States has to be party that manages this conflict. Without it, the fires will continue to burn.”

According to a readout of Biden’s call with Netanyahu, the U.S. president “conveyed the United States’ encouragement of a pathway toward restoring a sustainable calm” and “shared his conviction that Jerusalem, a city of such importance to people of faith from around the world, must be a place of peace.“

The Pentagon said Austin conveyed “ironclad” U.S. support for Israeli self-defense. Blinken, meanwhile, “emphasized the need for Israelis and Palestinians to be able to live in safety and security, as well as enjoy equal measures of freedom, security, prosperity, and democracy,“ according to a readout of his call with Netanyahu. He used similar language in the call with Abbas, according to the State Department.

Blinken said Wednesday that he is sending Hady Amr, a deputy assistant secretary of State, to the region to try to help defuse the crisis. The fighting has killed dozens of Palestinians in recent days — including a number of women and children — as well as several Israelis and injured hundreds more in the surrounding area.

The latest conflagration erupted earlier this week after simmering for a few weeks. Disputes between Israelis and Palestinians over access to holy sites in Jerusalem — as well as Palestinian frustration over attempts by Israeli settlers to evict several Palestinian families from their homes in east Jerusalem — have driven clashes. Hamas escalated the conflict when it began launching rockets at Jerusalem on Monday. Israel has responded with airstrikes. There have also been reports of scattered incidents of mob violence by both sides.

In comments to reporters Wednesday, Blinken condemned the rocket fire from Hamas-aligned militants but added that Israel has “an extra burden” to try to avoid civilian casualties in its response. “When we see children caught in the crossfire losing their lives, that has a powerful impact,” he said.

The hostilities between the two countries is the worst since 2014 and have shown little sign of abating. The violence has overlapped with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as well as a politically precarious time for Netanyahu, who faces legal problems and was unable to recently form a government after Israel’s fourth election in two years.

Palestinians face their own political turmoil. Abbas recently postponed what would have been the first Palestinian elections in 15 years. There were concerns in some corners that Hamas-linked candidates would do well, though Abbas blamed Israel, saying it wasn‘t clear if Palestinians in east Jerusalem would be allowed to vote.

Blinken made his remarks to reporters as he unveiled the State Department‘s annual religious freedom report, which assesses the climate in nearly 200 countries. The report put out Wednesday covers 2020, and, unsurprisingly, the impact of Covid-19 — which precipitated extraordinary restrictions on religious life and other mass gatherings — permeates the document.

The report was particularly tough on China and its treatment of Uyghur Muslims, which the state Department labeled “genocide” in late January as one of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s final acts in office.

As part of the report’s rollout, Blinken announced visa restrictions on Yu Hui, a former Chinese official accused of “gross violations of human rights,” particularly regarding members of the Falun Gong movement.