I saw many atrocities as a senior aid official in Gaza. Now Israeli authorities are trying to silence us

Devastated hospitals, mass graves, bodies eaten by dogs in the street. After speaking out, I discovered my visa will not be renewed

• Jonathan Whittall is head of office at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory. He writes here in a personal capacity

Gaza has been held under water for 22 months, allowed to gasp for air only when Israeli authorities have succumbed to political pressure from those with more leverage than international law itself. After months of relentless bombardment, forced displacement and deprivation, the impact of Israel's collective punishment of Gaza's people has never been more devastating.

I have been part of coordinating humanitarian efforts in Gaza since October 2023. Whatever lifesaving aid has entered since then has been the exception, not the rule. More than a year after the international court of justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to take all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide - and despite all our warnings - we are still witnessing starvation, insufficient access to water, a sanitation crisis and a crumbling health system against a backdrop of ongoing violence that is resulting in scores of Palestinians being killed daily, including children.