Israel has refused to renew visas for the local leaders of at least three key United Nations agencies operating in Gaza, the UN humanitarian chief said Thursday, describing the move as a direct response to the agencies’ work advocating for civilian protection.
The heads affected include Jonathan Whittall of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ajith Sunghay of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the commissioner general of the agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA. Their visas have not been renewed in recent months, confirmed UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
UN humanitarian affairs head Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the UN’s mandate includes both providing aid and advocating for international humanitarian law. He warned that reporting on abuses often leads to threats of restricted access, saying, “Nowhere today is the tension between our advocacy mandate and delivering aid greater than in Gaza.”
Israel’s UN Mission said it is investigating the visa issue. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies accuse UNRWA of infiltration by Hamas and allege some staffers participated in the October 2023 attack on southern Israel. Israel has formally barred UNRWA from operating within its territory and banned UNRWA’s commissioner general, Philippe Lazzarini, from entering Gaza.
At the Security Council meeting, Fletcher described conditions in Gaza as “beyond vocabulary,” citing food shortages and reports of Palestinians being shot while seeking food. He accused Israel, as the occupying power, of failing to meet its obligations under the Geneva Conventions to care for civilians.
Israel countered by accusing OCHA of abandoning neutrality despite its claims otherwise.
The UN human rights office confirmed that its head for the occupied Palestinian territories has been denied entry into Gaza. Fletcher further noted that more than half of denied entries to Gaza in 2025 have involved emergency medical teams, critical frontline responders.
Despite these restrictions, a delegation of religious leaders, including the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, entered Gaza on Friday. The delegation expressed solidarity and announced plans to send hundreds of tons of food, medical supplies, and equipment, as well as facilitating evacuation of injured individuals.
