TEL AVIV, May 13, 2026 (WAFA) – Israel on Tuesday morning briefly detained and interrogated a senior United Nations official at Ben Gurion Airport over an official visit he made to the Gaza Strip last year, according to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

It reported that the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security agency, briefly held Gilles Michaud, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security, upon his arrival at Ben Gurion Airport.

It added that Michaud was held there for about 45 minutes and questioned about an official visit to Gaza in August 2025, which had been coordinated with Israel.

The newspaper, citing Israeli officials, described the incident as “embarrassing for Israel”, elaborating that Michaud’s passports were confiscated during the security checks before he was moved to a waiting area.

Following the incident, Michaud said the treatment was “unusual” for a senior UN official and that he had not encountered similar conduct in other countries.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, following the incident, Michaud planned to cancel his official meetings in Israel.

The incident comes amid growing tensions between Israeli occupation authorities and UN officials and agencies over the ongoing genocide in Gaza, humanitarian access, and repeated international criticism of Israeli occupation forces’ aggression in the besieged enclave.

Israel has waged a military onslaught on the Strip since October 2023, killing over 72,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring over 172,000 others. It has destroyed 90% of the Strip’s infrastructure, with the cost of Gaza reconstruction estimated at $70 billion.

K.F.