Geneva, Switzerland - Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, shared her response after US officials announced sanctions against her for criticizing the country's support of Israel's assault on Gaza.

In an X post on Thursday, Albanese shared a quote that read, "The powerful punishing those who speak for the powerless, it is not a sign of strength, but of guilt."

Albanese has been highly critical of Israel's attacks on Gaza. She was one of the first officials to publicly describe it as a "genocide" and has fought for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to face charges of war crimes.

In a report shared last week, she outlined how a number of US corporations have managed to profit significantly from the conflict and should be held accountable.

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By Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the sanctions for "her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (International Criminal Court) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives."

In another X post about the sanctions, Albanese shared comments from international criminal attorney Sergey Vasiliev, who argued the move may violate the 1946 Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the UN, which grants Albanese's role "immunity from legal process of any kind."

Albanese showed appreciation for Vasiliev's take, but insisted focus should remain on "stopping the genocide."

"All eyes must remain on Gaza, where children are dying of starvation in their mothers' arms, while their fathers and siblings are bombed into pieces while searching for food," she added.