FAO official says he lost his job for criticising Israeli policies in Gaza

What the report says

A senior official at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says he lost his post after criticising Israeli policy in Gaza. Ben Davis, who served as director of rural transformation and gender equality, told AFP that he was informed in July his contract would not be renewed because of an alleged breach of impartiality rules tied to his public comments on Gaza.

According to the account reported by Al Jazeera, Davis said he was accused of helping organise weekly silent protests at the Rome-based agency and of supporting a May report that examined food availability in Gaza alongside humanitarian law. He said the report was later taken down and that staff were told not to include references to humanitarian law.

The report also said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu made public remarks on Tuesday warning staff against what he described as political or human rights “games” inside the agency. Davis said he believed those comments were directed at him and expressed concern about the threat of further dismissals. FAO did not respond to AFP’s request for comment, according to the article.

The broader context, as noted by Al Jazeera, is the continuing war in Gaza and the political sensitivity around international agencies speaking about humanitarian conditions there. The account highlights tensions over neutrality rules, staff expression and how UN bodies handle criticism related to the conflict.