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Israel Revokes UN Official’s Residency Over Comments on Gaza War
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Foreign Minister accuses Jonathan Whittall of spreading false narratives
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UN staff face growing visa restrictions since Gaza war escalation
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on Sunday that the government will not renew the residency permit of Jonathan Whittall, the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Israel.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Saar made the announcement via his official 𝕏 handle, accusing Whittall of spreading false information about Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza. “I have instructed not to extend the residency permit of the head of the OCHA office in Israel, Jonathan Whittall,” he wrote.
Whittall, a South African national based in Jerusalem, has frequently criticised the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where over two million Palestinians have been affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict. In April, he stated that Gazans were “slowly dying” due to the consequences of Israel’s war against Hamas.
The Israeli government said the decision was in response to what it described as Whittall’s “biased and hostile conduct against Israel which distorted reality” and violated the United Nations’ neutrality guidelines.
This marks the latest move by Israel targeting senior UN officials since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Authorities have increasingly restricted visa access for personnel working with UN bodies including OCHA, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
The move is expected to further strain relations between Israel and international humanitarian organisations operating in the region.
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