The United States has imposed sanctions on the United Nations official who investigates human rights abuses in occupied Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the Trump administration to punish those who criticize Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.

Here's what you need to know.

Who is Francesca Albanese?

Francesca Albanese, an Italian lawyer and academic, is one of dozens of independent human rights experts mandated by the UN to report on specific themes and crises. Outside experts, such as Albanese, do not represent the United Nations as a whole but they report to the council as a means of monitoring countries' human rights records.

What has she said about the war?

She has long been an outspoken critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza. In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council last week, Albanese said Israel was "responsible for one of the cruelest genocides in modern history." In an interview with CBC's Front Burner podcast last November, she said it was her view that Israel's "ultimate goal is ethnic cleansing" in the enclave.

"Under the fog of war, this is what Israel does. It forces Palestinians out of their homes, out of their land. It destroys. It creates conditions that are unlivable, and it makes it impossible for the Palestinians to return," she said.

She has urged other countries to pressure Israel, including through sanctions, to end its deadly bombardment of the Gaza Strip. She been a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court's (ICC's) arrest warrants against Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for allegations of war crimes.

WATCH | Albanese accuses Israel of crimes against humanity: 

UN special rapporteur criticizes Israel withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, says Israel's decision to withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council 'shows the hubris and the lack of realization of what they have done.' Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country was following the U.S. in withdrawing from the council, accusing it of 'ongoing and unrelenting institutional bias.'

Israel and the U.S. have strongly denied accusations of genocide. Israel has said its military campaign in Gaza amounts to self-defence after the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which saw roughly 1,200 people killed and more than 250 taken hostage

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry has said women and children account for the majority of those killed, but does not specify how many were fighters or civilians.

Why did the U.S. say it was imposing sanctions?

Albanese has faced criticism from pro-Israel officials and groups in the U.S. and in the Middle East. The U.S. mission to the UN issued a scathing statement last week, calling for her removal for "a years-long pattern of virulent antisemitism and unrelenting anti-Israel bias."

In a report published earlier this month, Albanese named Western defence companies that have provided weapons used by Israel's military as well as manufacturers of earth-moving equipment that have bulldozed Palestinian homes and property. The report called on companies to cease dealings with Israel and for legal accountability for executives implicated in alleged violations of international law.

WATCH | Albanese's critique toward Israel in February 2025: 

UN rapporteur says Palestinians are being collectively punished for Hamas's crimes

"What's the point of bombarding an entire population ... half of whom are children?" said Francesca Albanese, United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories. Albanese says Israel is not only committing war crimes against Palestinians, but also crimes against humanity.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was sanctioning Albanese for her work with the ICC to investigate Americans and Israelis. 

"We will not tolerate these campaigns of political and economic warfare, which threaten our national interests and sovereignty," read a statement from Rubio on Wednesday.

For months, the Trump administration has looked to punish critics of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza. Earlier this year, the administration began arresting and trying to deport faculty and students of U.S. universities who participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and other political activities.

The U.S. has also sanctioned four judges with the ICC.

What did Albanese say about the sanctions?

In a post on X late on Wednesday, Albanese wrote that she stood "firmly and convincingly on the side of justice, as I have always done," without directly mentioning the U.S. sanctions. In a text message to Al Jazeera, she was quoted as dismissing the U.S. move as "mafia-style intimidation techniques."

How did Canada respond?

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand responded to news of the sanctions on Thursday with a broad expression of support for the UN and its personnel, though she did not name Albanese directly.

"I will say that Canada believes in international law and Canada believes in the institutions that are at the heart of dispensing international law," she said, speaking during a news conference from Kuala Lumpur. 

"It is extremely important in the rules-based order that has kept us all safe since the end of the Second World War to respect those institutions and the individuals dispensing that law."

What about other rights officials?

Rights experts slammed the U.S. sanctions against Albanese. Dylan Williams, vice-president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy think-tank, labelled them as "rogue state behaviour" while Amnesty International said special rapporteurs must be supported and not sanctioned.

"Governments around the world and all actors who believe in the rule-based order and international law must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of the sanctions against Francesca Albanese and more generally to protect the work and independence of Special Rapporteurs," said Amnesty International's Secretary General Agnes Callamard, who is also a former UN special rapporteur.

Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said the U.S. government's decision to sanction Albanese for seeking justice through the ICC "is actually all about silencing a UN expert for doing her job — speaking truth about Israeli violations against Palestinians and calling on governments and corporations not to be complicit."

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," Evenson said in a statement. "UN and ICC member countries should strongly resist the U.S. government's shameless efforts to block justice for the world's worst crimes and condemn the outrageous sanctions on Albanese."