Israel Revokes UN Aid Official’s Residency Over Gaza War Comments

Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, announced on Sunday that he has ordered the withdrawal of a senior United Nations humanitarian official’s residency permit, accusing the official of spreading falsehoods about the ongoing war in Gaza.

“I have instructed not to extend the residency permit of the head of the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) office in Israel, Jonathan Whittall,” Saar wrote on X.

Whittall, a South African national based in Jerusalem who regularly visits the Gaza Strip, has been vocal in condemning the worsening humanitarian crisis affecting more than two million residents in the besieged territory.

In April, he publicly stated that Gazans were “slowly dying” due to the impact of Israel’s military campaign against Hamas fighters.

According to Saar, the decision was prompted by “biased and hostile conduct against Israel which distorted reality” and amounted to a violation of the UN’s principles of neutrality.

The move is the latest in a series of measures taken by Israel against senior United Nations officials since the war erupted in October 2023. In recent months, Israel has increased restrictions on visa approvals for staff from OCHA, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).