JERUSALEM: Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organization called an &quot;unprecedented attack&quot;. UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler said in a statement to AFP that Israeli forces &quot;stormed into&quot; the compound shortly after 7 am (0500 GMT) and ousted security guards from the site, before bulldozers entered and began demolishing buildings. &quot;This is an unprecedented attack against UNRWA and its premises. And it also constitutes a serious violation of international law and the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,&quot; Fowler said. &quot;This should be a wake-up call,&quot; he added. &quot;What happens today to UNRWA can happen tomorrow to any other international organisation or diplomatic mission around the world.&quot; AFP photos showed heavy machinery demolishing structures at the compound, where an Israeli flag fluttered overhead. An AFP photographer reported that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had made a brief visit to the site. &quot;This is a historic day, a day of celebration, and a very important day for governance in Jerusalem,&quot; Ben Gvir was quoted as saying in a statement. &quot;For years, these supporters of terrorism were here, and today they are being removed from here along with everything they built in this place. This is what will happen to every supporter of terrorism,&quot; he added. Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of its employees took part in the group&#39;s Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. A series of investigations, including one led by France&#39;s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some &quot;neutrality-related issues&quot; at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided conclusive evidence for its headline allegation. &#39;No immunity&#39;In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry defended the demolitions and said &quot;the state of Israel owns the Jerusalem compound&quot;. &quot;Today&#39;s move does not constitute a new policy, but rather the implementation of existing Israeli legislation concerning UNRWA-Hamas.&quot; The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations took effect after a months-long battle over its work in the Gaza Strip. &quot;UNRWA-Hamas had already ceased its operations at this site and no longer had any UN personnel or UN activity there,&quot; the foreign ministry said. &quot;The compound does not enjoy any immunity and the seizure of this compound by Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with both Israeli and international law,&quot; it added. Though the UNRWA ban applies in east Jerusalem due to its annexation by Israel, the agency still operates in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. In early December, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini denounced the seizure by Israeli authorities of assets from the compound, which police told AFP was part of a debt-collection operation. In a post on X, Lazzarini said authorities took &quot;furniture, IT equipment and other property&quot;, while the compound&#39;s UN flag was replaced with an Israeli one. At the time, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement strongly condemning the &quot;unauthorised entry&quot;, saying the compound remained &quot;United Nations premises and is inviolable and immune from any other form of interference&quot;. Months after the war in Gaza began in October 2023, Israeli authorities declared Guterres and Lazzarini as persona non grata in Israel.

A photograph shows heavy machinery demolishing a structure inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 20, 2026. (Photo by ILIA YEFIMOVICH / 

Middle East

Forces entered the compound at dawn, expelled guards, and used bulldozers to raze buildings, prompting UN accusations of unprecedented violations of international law. Israeli officials said the site lacked immunity under national legislation.

Israel begins demolitions at UNRWA headquarters in east Jerusalem

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan, along with Muslim-majority countries, has reiterated its firm support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), warning that any weakening of the agency&rsquo;s operations would lead to serious humanitarian and political repercussions across the Middle East.&nbsp;In a joint statement issued late Friday by Pakistan Foreign Office, the foreign ministries of Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, T&uuml;rkiye, and the United Arab Emirates emphasized UNRWA&#39;s &quot;indispensable role&quot; in providing critical services to Palestinian refugees.&nbsp;The statement, which came amid escalating humanitarian challenges in Gaza, highlighted UNRWA&rsquo;s unique mandate, established by UN General Assembly Resolution 302 in 1949, which allows the agency to provide vital protection, education, healthcare, social services, and emergency assistance to millions of Palestinian refugees.&nbsp;The ministers also welcomed the UN General Assembly&rsquo;s recent decision to extend UNRWA&rsquo;s mandate for another three years, underlining continued international confidence in the agency&rsquo;s ability to meet the needs of refugees.&nbsp;They stressed that the agency&rsquo;s operations in Gaza are vital, particularly during the ongoing humanitarian crisis, as UNRWA&rsquo;s distribution network has been delivering food, relief supplies, and other essential aid in a fair and efficient manner in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2803.&nbsp;&ldquo;UNRWA schools and health centers remain a lifeline for Gaza&rsquo;s refugees,&rdquo; the statement noted, praising the agency&rsquo;s staff for providing essential education and healthcare services in extremely challenging conditions.&nbsp;The ministers further stated that no other entity possesses the infrastructure or expertise necessary to meet the needs of Palestinian refugees, adding that any weakening of UNRWA&rsquo;s capacity would have &ldquo;grave humanitarian, social, and political consequences across the region.&rdquo;&nbsp;The joint statement also called on the international community to ensure predictable and sustainable funding for UNRWA, urging that the agency be given the &ldquo;political and operational space&rdquo; to continue its work in all five of its mandated fields.&nbsp;Supporting UNRWA, the ministers stated, is crucial for maintaining regional stability, preserving human dignity, and upholding the rights of Palestinian refugees until a just and lasting solution is achieved in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions, including General Assembly Resolution 194.&nbsp;The statement also condemned the recent Israeli forces&rsquo; storming of the UNRWA headquarters in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem.&nbsp;Terming the assault a &ldquo;flagrant violation of international law,&rdquo; the ministers called it an unacceptable escalation and a direct violation of the inviolability of UN premises.&nbsp;They further cited the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which affirmed that Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to facilitate, not hinder, UNRWA&#39;s operations.&nbsp;The ministers underscored the importance of continued international support for UNRWA to ensure that it can continue its vital work for Palestinian refugees, emphasizing the agency&rsquo;s irreplaceable role in the region&rsquo;s stability and the preservation of Palestinian rights.

Pakistan and seven Muslim nations reaffirmed support for UNRWA, warning its weakened capacity would worsen Gaza’s crisis, urging sustained funding and condemning Israel’s raid on the agency’s East Jerusalem headquarters as a violation of international law

Articles tagged with "UNRWA"

Israel begins demolitions at UNRWA headquarters in east Jerusalem

Pakistan, Muslim world urge sustained UNRWA support amid Gaza crisis