Israeli forces raid the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem
Israeli forces stormed on Monday the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of occupied East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, citing local sources, that “the occupation forces raided the UNRWA headquarters, carried out searches inside the premises, and seized the security guards’ phones.”
The Jerusalem Governorate also stated that “reinforced occupation forces stormed the headquarters early in the morning, detained the security staff and confiscated their phones, cutting all communication with them and making it impossible to know what was happening inside, while the entire area was sealed off and the occupation forces conducted extensive searches throughout the building’s facilities.”
In a statement, the Governorate described the raid as a blatant violation of international law and a serious infringement on the immunity and status of United Nations institutions, stressing that it constitutes a clear breach of the UN Charter (…) which obliges states to respect and protect UN institutions and humanitarian workers—provisions that directly apply to UNRWA, its facilities and its employees.
It explained that this raid comes within a series of attacks carried out by settlers and members of the Israeli Knesset, following the Israeli government’s decision—effective 30 January—to ban UNRWA operations in East Jerusalem. That decision had led to the departure of international staff after the expiration of their Israeli permits, while no local employees were present at the agency’s premises during the raid.
The Jerusalem Governorate reaffirmed that East Jerusalem is an occupied territory under international law and that its annexation is not recognized, emphasizing that targeting a UN agency responsible for serving refugees constitutes a serious blow to the international system and to the authority of the United Nations.
It added that this raid directly challenges the recent decision of the UN General Assembly, which renewed UNRWA’s mandate by an overwhelming majority.
It further reiterated the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, affirming the absence of Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, including Jerusalem, which form an integral part of UNRWA’s areas of operation. The Governorate called on the international community to join the Palestinian position rejecting the latest Israeli measures, describing them as tools to entrench occupation and oppression against the Palestinian people.
Finally, it called for urgent international action to hold Israel accountable as a state violating international law and to prosecute its leaders for the crimes and abuses committed against the Palestinian people and their national and UN institutions.
