Israel-U.N. Relations Strain Amid Gaza Crisis

Criticism mounts over U.N.'s handling of sexual violence allegations and humanitarian aid in Gaza.

Relations between Israel and the United Nations have deteriorated, with Israel refusing to grant a visa to a top humanitarian official and calling for U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to resign.
Israel accuses the U.N. of ignoring sexual violence committed by Hamas fighters during the Oct. 7 attacks and criticizes U.N. Women for taking over two months to acknowledge these accounts.
The U.N. plays a crucial role in providing aid to civilians in Gaza, with multiple agencies working on the ground to provide assistance, including the World Health Organization and the World Food Program.
Israeli officials have criticized the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, which is the largest aid agency in Gaza. Allegations have been made that a UNRWA staff member held an Israeli hostage for nearly 50 days.
U.S. lawmakers, including Congressional Republicans, are pushing to cut U.S. funding to UNRWA, which received over $338 million from the U.S. in 2021.