Israel has refused to renew the visa of Jonathan Whittall, the senior United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territories, drawing concern from the UN amid escalating restrictions on aid access to Gaza.
According to Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Whittall’s visa will not be extended beyond August. The move came shortly after he spoke out about civilians being killed while trying to reach food during Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Kaneko added that Israel has also been limiting visa durations for other UN personnel, denying access requests to Gaza for several agencies, and withholding permits for Palestinian staff traveling to East Jerusalem.
The visa denial is the latest development in the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, triggered by the October 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in the kidnapping of around 250 Israelis, according to Israeli data. Israel’s military response has since displaced Gaza’s entire population and pushed the territory into a hunger emergency.
Gaza’s health ministry reports that over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict, with nearly 900 deaths occurring near aid distribution sites and convoys in the past six weeks alone, according to the UN rights office. Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and war crimes at the International Criminal Court, both of which it denies, while rejecting UN criticism as biased.
The refusal to extend Whittall’s visa highlights growing tensions between Israel and international aid agencies, further complicating efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to the more than two million people trapped in Gaza.


EU Court Cuts Intel Antitrust Fine to €237 Million Amid Long-Running AMD Dispute
Judge Orders Return of Seized Evidence in Comey-Related Case, DOJ May Seek New Warrant
Russian Drone Attack Hits Turkish Cargo Ship Carrying Sunflower Oil to Egypt, Ukraine Says
Australia Pushes Forward on AUKUS Submarine Program Amid Workforce and Production Challenges
Brazil Arrests Former Peruvian Foreign Minister Augusto Blacker Miller in International Fraud Case
U.S. Soldiers Killed in ISIS Attack in Palmyra, Syria During Counterterrorism Mission
Trump’s Approval of AI Chip Sales to China Triggers Bipartisan National Security Concerns
U.S. Homeland Security Ends TSA Union Contract, Prompting Legal Challenge
Trump Signs Executive Order to Establish National AI Regulation Standard
Supreme Court to Weigh Trump’s Power to Remove FTC Commissioner
International Stabilization Force for Gaza Nears Deployment as U.S.-Led Planning Advances
Taiwan Opposition Criticizes Plan to Block Chinese App Rednote Over Security Concerns
China Adds Domestic AI Chips to Government Procurement List as U.S. Considers Easing Nvidia Export Curbs
Trump Claims Pardon for Tina Peters Despite No Legal Authority
U.S.-EU Tensions Rise After $140 Million Fine on Elon Musk’s X Platform
Preservation Group Sues Trump Administration to Halt $300 Million White House Ballroom Project 



