Israel will stop automatically issuing visas to all UN staff and will consider each application individually, government spokesman Eilon Levy said on Tuesday.
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Levy, in an address on the social network X, accused international organizations of not condemning Hamas “for inciting war and appropriating humanitarian aid,” calling them “accomplices of Hamas in their strategy of hiding behind people as a human shield.” Levy did not name specific organizations, but then announced a decision regarding the UN.
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“We demand global accountability and lead by example. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has announced that visa requests from UN employees will no longer be automatically approved. Instead, we will examine requests individually,” Levy said.
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According to him, Israel will stop working with “those who cooperate with the propaganda machine of the Hamas terrorist regime,” and called on the country’s allies to do the same.
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Earlier, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution requiring Israel and Hamas to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip, and also calling on the UN Secretary General to appoint a coordinator for the delivery of such assistance. The final version of the resolution did not include a provision calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities, as well as for urgent steps towards a sustainable cessation of hostilities.
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the Hamas attack does not absolve Israel of its responsibilities under international law in its operation in Gaza. Guterres said nothing could justify firing rockets from Gaza or using civilians as human shields. At the same time, the UN Secretary General noted that the Hamas attack cannot justify “the collective punishment of the Palestinian people and does not relieve Israel from its own obligations.”
