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Israel has refused to renew the visas of the heads of at least three United Nations agencies operating in Gaza, a move linked by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, to their efforts to protect Palestinian civilians in the war-torn Strip, according to Associated Press.
“Visas are not renewed or reduced in duration by Israel, explicitly in response to our work on protection of civilians,” Fletcher said.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed in recent months that visa renewals had not been granted to the local heads of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Speaking before the Security Council on Wednesday, Fletcher said the UN’s humanitarian role is not only to deliver aid and report what its staff witness, but also to advocate for international humanitarian law, “so that you, this Council, can take action.”
READ: UNICEF: Israeli attacks killing 28 children daily in Gaza