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The Israeli parliament is set to debate a proposal to withdraw from the United Nations' World Health Organisation (WHO), a move seen as retaliation for the agency's criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza.

The Israeli Knesset's health committee is scheduled to hold a special debate titled "Israel's withdrawal from World Health Organization", according to the Knesset website.

The debate was reportedly requested by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, along with lawmakers from the far-right Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit parties.

According to Israeli media outlet Walla, the lawmakers accused the WHO of adopting policies “tainted with antisemitism and clear discrimination against Israel.”

The WHO has been vocal about Israel’s war on Gaza, particularly condemning attacks on hospitals and warning of the devastating impact the war has had on Gaza’s healthcare system.

Israel has lashed out at the WHO for allegedly “ignoring evidence” that Hamas was using Gaza’s health facilities for military purposes — an accusation widely dismissed as vague and unsubstantiated.

The WHO has played a key role in coordinating health aid and medical support in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories, including facilitating medical evacuations for patients in urgent need of life-saving treatment.

Following the outbreak of polio in Gaza, the WHO spearheaded a vaccination campaign to protect children from the disease.

Should Israel vote to leave the WHO, the decision could hinder cooperation between Israel and Palestinian authorities and potentially disrupt humanitarian and medical aid operations in the region.

Nearly every country in the world is a member of the WHO, having signed its constitution, which outlines the agency’s role in combating global health crises.

Although the WHO does not have a formal withdrawal process, if Israel manages to exit the organisation, it would lose its voting rights at the World Health Assembly and could be excluded from international health initiatives and resources.