AhlulBayt News Agency: Israel’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, stormed the headquarters of UNRWA in the east Al-Quds neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Tuesday and supervised the demolition of buildings inside the compound.
According to the Al-Quds Governorate, Ben Gvir personally supervised demolition operations inside the agency’s premises in the occupied holy city.
A spokesman for UNRWA, Jonathan Fowler, told Reuters that Israeli forces entered the compound around 7:00 a.m. local time, forced out the compound’s security guards, and then brought in bulldozers to start demolishing buildings inside.
“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,” Fowler said.
In a post on X, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said Israeli authorities took “furniture, IT equipment and other property”, while the compound’s UN flag was replaced with an Israeli one.
The compound in east Al-Quds has been empty of UNRWA staff since January 2025, when a law banning its operations was enacted.
Some former UNRWA staff said the structures demolished today had been used to store aid for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
For its part, the Al-Quds Governorate condemned the Israeli measure as a “serious escalation” and a “direct targeting of a UN agency that enjoys international legal immunity.”
“This escalation was preceded by months of harassment and violations against UNRWA, including deliberate arson attacks in 2024, the holding of incitement and intimidation rallies, a wide media disinformation campaign, and anti‑UNRWA legislation passed by Israel in clear violation of its international obligations. Such practices ultimately forced UNRWA staff to evacuate the compound at the beginning of last year,” the Governorate said.
The Hamas Movement also denounced the Israeli demolition of several facilities inside the main headquarters of the UNRWA in Sheikh Jarrah, describing the move as “a blatant violation of all international resolutions and norms.”
In its statement, Hamas said that this measure, which was carried out under the supervision of Ben Gvir, reflects “an unprecedented official arrogance and a deliberate contempt for the UN, its institutions, and the international community.”
Hamas accused the Israeli occupation regime of targeting UNRWA in a bid to undermine its role and erase its presence as an international witness to the Palestinian refugee issue.
Hamas called for wide international condemnation of this Israeli “criminal behavior,” urging immediate action to protect UNRWA and enable it to carry out its UN mandate.
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