Watan-Israel has refused to renew visas for the heads of at least three United Nations agencies operating in Gaza, a move attributed by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher to their efforts in trying to protect Palestinian civilians in the war-torn enclave.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed that visa renewals had not been granted in recent months for the country heads of:
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the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA),
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the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),
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and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
In a briefing to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Fletcher stated that the UN’s humanitarian mandate is not only about delivering aid and reporting observations from the ground, but also about advocating for international humanitarian law.
“Every time we report what we witness, we face threats of further restrictions on our access to the civilians we’re trying to help,” said Fletcher. “Nowhere is the challenge of balancing humanitarian advocacy with delivering aid more pronounced than in Gaza.”
He added that Israel is “explicitly blocking or shortening visa renewals in retaliation for our efforts to protect civilians.”
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has continued since October 7, 2023, killing 58,667 Palestinians and wounding around 140,000 — most of them children and women. The devastation includes near-total destruction of civilian infrastructure, homes, and hospitals.
According to the UN, Israel has killed about 300 of its personnel during the war and repeatedly attacked UN premises — particularly UNRWA facilities, whose operations have been aggressively targeted and eventually banned by Israeli authorities.
Israel denies visa renewals to UN agency heads in Gaza, UN officials say move retaliates against their efforts to protect civilians amid ongoing genocide. UN reports rising restrictions and deadly attacks on its staff.
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