Senior UN agency figure claims he lost job for criticizing Israel on Gaza

ROME, Italy — A senior official at the UN’s agriculture agency said Wednesday he had lost his job for criticizing Israeli policies in Gaza, as the body’s head condemned staff who “play the game of human rights.”

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) director Ben Davis told AFP he had been informed in July that his contract would not be renewed after 26 years because he had allegedly breached impartiality rules.

“They accused me of organizing these moments of silence on the situation of starvation and famine in Gaza,” he said, referring to weekly silent protests by some employees at the Rome-based organization.

A report from the Italian Insider outlet on Monday cited FOA sources as saying that a diplomat from the Israeli embassy in Rome had filmed the weekly silent protest, which led to Davis being dismissed.

Davis was also criticized for a report he worked on about food availability in Gaza and humanitarian law, published in May.

“We were told to take it down,” he said. “We weren’t allowed to make any references to humanitarian law.”

A woman diplomat from Israeli Embassy to FAO filmed a staff protest against use by Israeli military of starvation in Gaza held at FAO HQ, leading to US director Ben Davis' sacking by UN agency, FAO sources say https://t.co/oj53bowtLo pic.twitter.com/SBT8y4FyR8 pic.twitter.com/rToEYhZw9C

— The Italian Insider (@ItalianInsider_) September 28, 2026

FAO director-general Qu Dongyu appeared to warn FAO staff Tuesday that “we don’t allow you to play the game here of human rights.”

He was speaking in public comments made at the start of a filmed session on forestry.

“Of course, human rights is very important, but we have the human rights agency in Geneva,” he added. “If you want to take care, go there.”

“That’s why some senior members play the political game here. I fire him… You should follow the FAO constitution… You are against staff regulations… But I’m a very soft person; I didn’t fire that many,” he said.

“I will fire more people if they are against the law,” he added.

FAO did not respond to a request for comment.

Asked if he thought the director-general’s comments were about him, Davis said “absolutely.”

“He has already scolded me in public in the past for being too political.”

Davis also said he was “concerned” about the director general’s comments on firing more people.

Hundreds of people attended the moments of silence at their height, and there are now only 30-40 people coming on a weekly basis, he said.

The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, with the Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

During the course of the war, Israel repeatedly restricted, and even completely halted, the flow of aid to Gaza’s devastated population, causing what several humanitarian organizations described as famine conditions in the Strip.

Following the October 2025 ceasefire, Israel resumed more substantial aid transfer, allowing hundreds of aid trucks to enter the territory each day, as required under the terms of the deal.