Israel will not renew visa of top UN humanitarian official

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israel has declined to renew the visa for Jonathan Whittall, the senior U.N. aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday, adding there were intensifying threats of reduced access to suffering civilians.

Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said visas for U.N. staff were recently renewed for shorter periods than usual and access requests to Gaza were denied for multiple agencies. Kaneko said permits for Palestinian staff to enter East Jerusalem were also withheld.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Gaza is in the midst of a devastating Israeli military assault following a deadly October 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. Israel has come under mounting criticism from the U.N. during its war in the Palestinian enclave, which has internally displaced Gaza's entire population and caused a hunger crisis.

KEY QUOTES

"Last week, it was indicated to us that our current Head of Office, Jonathan Whittall, won't have his visa extended by Israeli authorities beyond August. This came immediately after remarks he made at a press briefing about starving people being killed while trying to reach food," Kaneko said.

Israel's mission to the U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel has previously dismissed U.N. criticism as being biased.

CONTEXT

The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered in October 2023 when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, Israeli tallies show.

Gaza's health ministry says Israel's subsequent military assault has killed over 58,000 Palestinians. It has also prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

The U.N. rights office says it recorded nearly 900 killings within the past six weeks near aid distribution sites and aid convoys in Gaza.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Michelle Nichols and Leslie Adler)