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Israeli forces demolished buildings at the East Jerusalem compound of the United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), an act the agency condemned as a violation of international law.
The site was reportedly occupied by Israel last year. On Tuesday, bulldozers accompanied by Israeli troops were seen razing several large and small buildings in the compound.
The site was previously the workplace of dozens of UNRWA staff. Israel accuses UNRWA of bias, and UNRWA has not occupied the site since early last year after Israel directed the agency to vacate all sites and cease operations.
UNRWA spokesman Jonathan Fowler told Reuters that Israeli forces entered the compound at around 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT), evicted the compound’s security guards and then used bulldozers to begin demolishing the buildings inside.
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the demolition in a statement by X, calling it “a new level of blatant and deliberate flouting of international law.”
He said it was the latest in a series of Israeli actions against UNRWA, including a raid on a medical clinic this month and plans to cut off power and water to UNRWA facilities in the coming weeks.
Some former UNRWA staff said the buildings demolished on Tuesday had been used to store aid for the West Bank and Gaza.
“The destruction caused by the Israeli occupation today sends another message to the world that Israel is the only country that can abrogate international law with impunity,” said Hakam Chauvin, former chief of staff at UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem.
Israel’s Knesset passed a law in October 2024 banning the agency from operating in the country and banning officials from having contact with the agency.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gver posted a video on social media of himself standing in front of the UNRWA compound as bulldozers began to dismantle it.
“This is a historic day, it’s a holiday,” Ben-Gwell said.
Israel claims that some UNRWA staff were members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas and participated in an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and resulted in Israel’s war against HamasGaza authorities said more than 71,000 Palestinians were killed.
UNRWA fired several staff members but said Israel had not provided evidence for all the allegations against its staff.
Lazzarini said in a statement that Israel had engaged in a “massive disinformation campaign” against UNRWA.
“The seizure of the building by the Israeli authorities was carried out in accordance with Israeli and international law,” the Israeli foreign ministry said.
Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality raided the building last year, saying UNRWA had not paid property taxes despite repeated warnings. UNRWA said it did not owe the municipality any debt.
The agency operates in East Jerusalem, which the United Nations and most countries consider to be Israeli-occupied territory. Israel considers all of Jerusalem to be part of the country.
UNRWA also operates in Gaza, the West Bank and other parts of the Middle East, providing schooling, health care, social services and housing to millions of Palestinians.