The United Nations is weighing its response to Israel's announcement that it will build a military complex on the former headquarters of the UN relief agency for Palestinians in east Jerusalem, a UN official said on Tuesday.
Natalie Boucly, deputy commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), described the plan as a potential breach of the 1946 UN Convention on privileges and immunities. “These are UN premises and, at a minimum, this is a breach,” she told the Associated Press during a visit to Syria.
Israel bulldozed part of the UNRWA compound in January, and the site was shut down in May 2025 after far-right protesters overran its gate. The Israeli government approved the construction of a defence ministry complex, including a museum and enlistment office, on the site in Sheikh Jarrah.
Defence Minister Israel Katz called the move “a decision of sovereignty, Zionism and security,” adding that it would strengthen Jerusalem and the Israeli army. The announcement came on Jerusalem Day, marking Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem in the 1967 war.
UNRWA provides aid to millions of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. Its operations were curtailed last year after Israeli legislation banned it from functioning in areas Israel defines as its territory, including east Jerusalem. Boucly said the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “absolutely dire,” with insufficient aid entering despite a ceasefire.
