Israeli crews have begun demolishing the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees in occupied East Jerusalem, and fired teargas at a UN vocational school in Qalandia in the West Bank.
Israel accuses UNRWA of collaborating with Hamas – a charge the agency denies – and last year banned it from operating on its territory. The demolition marks the latest step against the agency, which provides aid to millions of Palestinian refugees.
Roland Friedrich, UNRWA’s director in the West Bank, said the agency was informed that demolition crews, accompanied by police, arrived at the East Jerusalem compound in the early hours. The facility had been largely unused for nearly a year due to security threats, but Israeli forces entered, confiscated equipment and expelled private security guards. An Israeli flag was hoisted above the site, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called it “a historic day”.
Israel’s foreign ministry defended the move, stating that “UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site” and that the compound “does not enjoy any immunity” and was seized in accordance with law. Friedrich, however, called it a violation of international law guaranteeing protections for such facilities, adding that it was “the culmination of two years of incitement and measures against UNRWA in East Jerusalem”.
UNRWA was founded in 1949 to provide aid and services to Palestinian refugees. Its operations were curtailed last year when Israel’s Knesset passed legislation severing ties and banning it from East Jerusalem. The agency has recorded 382 colleagues killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the conflict. Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner general, said: “This must be a wake-up call. What happens today to UNRWA will happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission.”
The demolition follows a long-running campaign against the agency, including US funding cuts and freezes, and broader Israeli efforts to tighten controls on humanitarian organisations operating in Gaza and the West Bank.
